Episode 92 - "One of you will betray me" John 13:21-30

John 13:21   After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. 23 One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at the table at Jesus’ side, 24 so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. 25 So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?” 26 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. 27 Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” 28 Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. 29 Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. 30 So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.

Throughout this entire book, John drops little pieces of information that should cause us to stop and reflect on why that information might be important. For instance, in verse 21, John mentions that Jesus “was troubled in his spirit.” It would appear the reason he was troubled is his awareness that one of his disciples would betray him. But, this raises some questions. 

First, why was it important for John to mention that Jesus was troubled within his spirit? What does this detail communicate to the reader? If Jesus has this foreknowledge, why doesn’t he prevent it? He’s raised the dead back to life and performed many other miracles. There is no need to be troubled because he could prevent his would-be betrayer from doing that. 

Second, why is there a need to say “one of you” and not specify who is the betrayer? It’s obvious from the context that he not only knows that he is going to be betrayed by one of the twelve, but he knows who it is. Yet, he does not announce that to the group. 

My answers to these questions will be at least in part based on my speculation. But, I will try to defend them within the context of this book.  My answer to why Jesus was troubled within his spirit and why John shares it with us is due to both his humanity AND his deity. Let me explain. Jesus was human in every way except without sin. The author of Hebrews makes that point in Hebrews 4:15. But, John is emphatic about communicating that Jesus is both divine and human. In John’s prologue, he wrote of the Word who was God, “and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:14) John did not understand this reality for quite a while. In fact, Jesus had made John one of his closest friends. John saw and heard things being near Jesus that many others did not. But, later when he records his own entrance into the empty tomb, he “believes.” Believes what? He doesn’t tell us specifically. But, I think it’s when he first believed that his friend Jesus was God in human flesh. As this understanding settled in, he realized that the Incarnate Son of God had chosen to hang out with him, teach him, and love him. This is why I think he doesn’t refer to himself in this book by name, but as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” John is not bragging. John lived the rest of his life humbled by the immense grace God showed to him in having this uniquely privileged place and role in human history. He is in complete and continual awe of Jesus. Therefore, it is his passion that you and I also understand the significance of the Incarnation of the Son of God. So, he shows us the humanity of Jesus alongside his deity. He shows us Jesus weeping at Lazarus’ tomb with full knowledge that the Father will have him raise Lazarus back to life. Now in this passage, Jesus has a human response of being troubled in spirit knowing that one of his friends will betray him. Who among us would not be troubled with that kind of knowledge? So, if we understand how such treachery would cause us pain, why would a loving, holy, and just God not be troubled by our betrayal? I think John wants us to see how our own sin troubles Jesus. It should cause us to consider our priorities and seek the Lord’s help in our faith and faithfulness to Him. 

This brings us to the second question and why I think Jesus said to the whole group “one of you will betray me.” In fact, all of them would betray him in one manner or another. Yes. Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus into the hands of his enemies leading to his arrest and crucifixion. But, Peter denied even knowing Jesus three times when he was under pressure and the rest of the disciples ran. Jesus told them this before any of it happened. I cannot imagine that any of them ever forgot it. 

Why didn’t he stop it? Because this was all within the Father’s will and plan and Jesus was perfectly faithful to his Father and to us. 

There is another important truth within this passage that I want you to see.  If you recall at the beginning of this chapter, John writes that “the Devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot . . . to betray him.” (John 13:2) But, in verse 27 after Jesus had given Judas the piece of bread dipped in the cup, John informs us that Satan entered into him(Judas). What is going on here? What happens in verse 2 is the work of the Devil to influence Judas. But, John is recording Jesus telling “the disciple who Jesus loved” a.k.a. Himself that he would reveal who his betrayer is by giving that person the morsel of bread dipped in the cup. Then, he did it and once Judas took that bread from Jesus, THEN Satan entered Judas. The point is that while Satan has the power to influence people, his power is limited and completely subject to God’s will and timing. We learn this lesson in the book of Job as well. Satan and Judas both have culpability. But the extent of what Satan can do and when he can do it is under the sovereign will of God. That’s deep stuff there, isn’t it. Understand that there are mysteries regarding God and we cannot fully understand everything He is doing. 

I believe our “takeaway” from this lesson is knowing that God is in complete control and that means things will happen that may trouble us. But, we should pray that the Lord will sustain us in being faithful to Him.

One last observation before stopping. Did you notice John pointing out in verse 30 when Judas went out to betray Jesus, that he adds, “and it was night?” That’s when Nicodemus came to Jesus. Nicodemus came to Jesus at night when he was in as much spiritual darkness as he was physical darkness. The disciples were in a boat in the middle of a stormy Sea of Galilee “and it had become dark and Jesus had not yet come to them.” Now Judas, who has been with “the Light of the world is departing into darkness.” How tragic! May the Lord sustain us in His truth and Light.

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.