Episode 88 - He loved them to the end - John 13:1-5

John 13:1   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. 2 During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, 3 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, 4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 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.

As I read this text, I’m reminded of my childhood when occasionally I would have a sheet of paper or a book with “connect the dots.” By using a pen or pencil and beginning at the dot with the number ‘1’ and drawing a line to each successively numbered dot, an image would appear. This book has a number of “dots” that are to be connected and it reveals a picture of Jesus and God’s plan for sending him into the world.

First, John mentions that once again they are nearing the Passover Feast. The feast commemorated the first Passover when the ancestors of these Jews were in bondage in Egypt and the Lord was bringing judgment upon the nation. The final plague was that the Lord would kill the firstborn of every family and animal because of their evil and rebellous ways. In order to avoid this, the Jews were instructed to sacrifice a lamb without blemish, apply some of the blood to the outside of the door frame of their homes, then enter into their homes, and eat the roasted flesh of the lamb. (See Exodus 12) What significance does this have with respect to Jesus and the events that are unfolding?

Well, early in John’s gospel, John the Baptist points to Jesus and declares that he is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) It would seem that by John pointing out that the Passover is near and the context of Jesus (the Lamb of God) knowing that he will soon die seems to connect the dots that the ultimate fulfillment of the Passover is about to happen in Jesus’ imminent death.

Second, John mentions that Jesus knew his hour had come. We read that happened when it was reported to him that there were Greeks seeking him. (John 12:20-23) John adds here that Jesus had loved “his own.” Do you remember that? John 1 records, “he (the Word) came unto his own. But, his own did not receive him.” (John 1:11-12) He didn’t just come to them. John says here that he “loved them.” Now, he builds on that by saying that even though he knew they were about to kill him, “he loved them to the very end.” Is that not amazing? Jesus never stopped loving the people who would take part in rejecting him and killing him.

Now we get some specific detail when John tells us about this meal Jesus and his closest disciples were sharing and John tells us that the devil had already put the idea into Judas Iscariot’s heart to betray Jesus. This detail is helping us understand that it’s not just antagonists who were after Jesus. But, even one of Jesus’ own disciples would betray the one who would love him to the end.

John then explains that Jesus knew that God had handed all authority to him and that he had come from God and was going back to God. This would seem to suggest that John understood that Jesus could have done so many things in response to the knowledge he had. But, what he did was to get up from the table where he had been reclining, took off his outer garment, wrapped a towel around his waist, took a towel and bowl of water, and began washing his disciples’ feet.

Why is this detail important? If you recall from John chapter one, John the Baptist tells people that there is someone else in their midst whom they didn’t recognize, “the straps of his sandals I am not worthy to unloosen.” (John 1:27) The disciple of a teacher in that day was considered on a similar level of a slave and might be expected to do anything for their teacher that a slave would do except one thing. Foot care was considered so low that only a slave was expected to do that. John the Baptist was saying that he was not worthy to even be called a slave of Jesus. But, here in this text, Jesus is taking on the role of a servant to his own disciples. This helps us see how Jesus was loving his own. Shortly, we’ll learn more about what Jesus is teaching his disciples and us through this act of love. 

As you meditate on this, I hope you will not miss the point that you are included among Jesus’ “own” whom he has loved to the end. The question is whether you receive it. 

Episode 76 - Lazarus dies and Jesus' promise to raise him up - John 11:5-16

John 11:5   Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” 12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 15 and for your sake, I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

If you recall from the last podcast, these sisters sent a message to Jesus concerning their brother Lazarus who was ill saying, “the one you love is ill.” Now, John tells us that Jesus loved Mary and Martha. In other words, Jesus was very close to this family. But, John’s statement here serves to impress this upon us prior to revealing the next detail of the story. John tells us that upon learning of Lazarus’ illness, he stayed where he was two more days. For someone who has demonstrated the ability to heal illnesses and give sight to a man born blind, this appears to be an odd and not-so-loving response.

After this delay, Jesus says to his disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” This evokes a concerned response from the disciples. They are concerned that the Jews who were seeking to stone Jesus have not calmed down and may quickly attempt to fulfill their desire if they go back. This is Jesus’ opportunity to teach again and to prepare them for what they have yet to learn and believe. Jesus, the Light of the world, uses an analogy of light and how people accomplish things in the light because the light illumines what is around them and they don’t stumble. There is God’s work to be done while the Light is with them. 

Jesus then tells them that Lazarus is asleep and he is going back toward Jerusalem to awaken him. I can easily empathize with the disciples when they reply, “If he is asleep, he will recover (wake-up).” I suspect the attitude among these men was, “Are you kidding me? We’re going to risk our lives to go wake up Lazarus from sleep?”

Remember that in our last session, upon learning of Lazarus’ illness, he said, “his illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” (verse 4) Later he tells the disciples that Lazarus is sleeping. But, now after the disciples take Jesus very literally, Jesus tells them, “Lazarus has died.”(v. 14) In fact, when we read the whole story, we discover that Lazarus likely died very soon after the messengers went in search for Jesus. Jesus knew it all along. So, why did he say that the illness would not lead to death and then say that Lazarus was sleeping? I think the answer comes in what he says after he tells the disciples that Lazarus has died. He tells them,  “for your sake, I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe.” (v. 15) Believe what? If Jesus said that Lazarus was asleep and he was going to wake him, but he knew that Lazarus had died, what is Jesus really saying he’s going to do? He is going to raise him from the dead. This is why he waited; so that everyone would know that Lazarus wasn’t just unconscious and appear to be dead. People believed that Jesus could heal his sickness. But, they did not yet believe that Jesus had the ability to restore Lazarus’ life. 

This explains why Jesus said earlier that Lazarus’ illness would not lead to death, but for the glory of God. Even though Lazarus would die, it would only be temporary because God wanted people to believe more about Jesus. Who has the power to give life but God Himself? This sign is to further confirm the deity of Jesus. 

This section closes with a statement from Jesus’ disciple Thomas who concedes, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” While I suspect that this primarily reveals Thomas’s doubt or lack of faith, I wonder if John includes these words to suggest a divinely prophetic message in them that these disciples must die to themselves. When they witness Jesus call a dead man back to life and later Jesus taking back his own life, their faith is being perfected and they truly understand Jesus’ identity. Maybe all of this is recorded to affect the perfecting of our faith.