Jhn 13 Tnight we begin the study f the mst mmentus events in the life f Jesus His final Passver meal, His passin, His death and His resurrectin The first f these begins in chapter 13 and will last a full five chapters in Jhn s Gspel Almst 20% f Jhn s entire bk is devted t this ne mment in Jesus earthly life That shuld tell us hw imprtant this mment was fr Jhn in telling Jesus stry But tnight befre we enter that mment, we have ne passage at the end f chapter 12 t cver A final call t the peple t believe Jhn 12:44 And Jesus cried ut and said, He wh believes in Me, des nt believe in Me but in Him wh sent Me. Jhn 12:45 He wh sees Me sees the One wh sent Me. Jhn 12:46 I have cme as Light int the wrld, s that everyne wh believes in Me will nt remain in darkness. Jhn 12:47 If anyne hears My sayings and des nt keep them, I d nt judge him; fr I did nt cme t judge the wrld, but t save the wrld. Jhn 12:48 He wh rejects Me and des nt receive My sayings, has ne wh judges him; the wrd I spke is what will judge him at the last day. Jhn 12:49 Fr I did nt speak n My wn initiative, but the Father Himself wh sent Me has given Me a cmmandment as t what t say and what t speak. Jhn 12:50 I knw that His cmmandment is eternal life; therefre the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has tld Me. Yu may remember that Jhn reprted earlier in his Gspel that Jesus had already gne away frm the peple in preparatin fr His death But nw we hear Jesus crying ut fr the peple t believe in Him while the pprtunity still exists Wh was He crying ut t in this case? 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 13 2 f 23 Well, we knw frm the ther Gspels that Jesus spends the first half f the Passver week in the temple teaching Jhn desn t recrd this time, prbably because the ther Gspel writers d S thugh Jhn says Jesus went away frm the peple n this day, He re-emerged the next day in the temple And when He did, at sme pint He issued this final call t believe There is a small chiasm in these verses A chiasm is a literary device in which the prgressin f thught mves in a series f steps tward a pint And then backs ut a liken number f cmplimentary pints In this case, the beginning and ending pints are n Jesus representatin f the Father Ntice in vs.44-45 and in vs.49-50 Jesus emphasizes the same pint Yur respnse t Jesus is yur respnse t the Father Gd T believe in Jesus is t believe in the Father T witness Jesus at wrk is t witness the Father In fact, there can be n ther way t see the Father except t see Jesus As Jhn explained t us in the first chapter Jhn 1:18 N ne has seen Gd at any time; the nly begtten Gd wh is in the bsm f the Father, He has explained Him. Only thrugh Christ can the Father be knwn And then in the secnd half f the chiasm, Jesus explains that He spke nly as the Father directed Him Jesus didn t speak things that were f His wn chsing He spke as the Father directed Him In fact, the message was intended t bring eternal life t thse wh believed 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 13 3 f 23 S it was especially imprtant that Jesus deliver it exactly as intended S at the beginning and the end, Jesus emphasizes His desire t represent the Father and the Father s message f salvatin And then sandwiched between these in the chiasm is a message f judgment In v.46 Jesus explains that His missin in cming was t call peple ut f darkness and int the light f salvatin Had Gd wished t cndemn the wrld fr sin, He need nt g t the truble f delivering Jesus int the wrld first Smetimes, Christians make the mistake f assuming that fairness bligated Gd t ffer mankind a chance at salvatin But that isn t s...gd wuld have been perfectly justified in cndemning all men withut s much as a secnd thught But in mercy He made a way available thrugh His Sn That s why Jesus says He came t rescue men frm darkness There wuld be n ther reasn fr Him t cme much less t suffer Ging a step further, Jesus says that fr thse wh hear the Gspel and d nt believe it, Jesus will nt exact judgment upn them in that mment Once again, Gd is nt bligated t wait befre He brings judgment fr sin It wuld have been perfectly reasnable fr Gd t never send His Sn in the first place But having sent Him, it wuld have been equally reasnable fr the Father t have struck dwn immediately anyne wh rejected His Sn But Jesus says that even s, He will nt bring judgment fr that persn in this mment Instead, Jesus is intent n bringing a message f mercy 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 13 4 f 23 S He verlks the naysayers and mckers and all thse wh persecute Him In fact, Jesus missin can t be fulfilled therwise If the Lrd cndemned thse wh rejected Him, then hw culd He g t the crss as required? But rest assured, judgment fr rejecting Christ is cming ne day Jesus says in v.48 that the Father has reserved a day f judgment fr all thse wh reject His Sn That day, called the last day, will mark the end f mercy and waiting The Lrd will nte that the Gspel reached in ur ears yet we rejected it And in that way, we will have been cnvicted by ur unbelief This is the unavidable reality f grace Grace is Gd s unmerited favr in the face f impending judgment Grace isn t grace if judgment weren t a reality The enemy negates Gd s grace by denying the reality f a cming judgment But Jesus sets the recrd straight He came t bring a message f salvatin t a wrld that was due judgment And whether yu receive mercy r judgment is determined by hw yu respnd t the Father s representative Hear Jesus, believe in Jesus and be saved Reject Him, and in the last day judgment will be certain That sbering call sets the stage fr the last night f Jesus earthly life: the Passver celebratin Jhn desn t recrd much f the ceremny f the Passver meal as des the ther Gspel writers 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 13 5 f 23 Instead, Jhn fcuses in n the cnversatin that tk place arund the table that night And what a strange cnversatin it must have seemed t the disciples wh didn t knw what was cming Jhn 13:1 Nw befre the Feast f the Passver, Jesus knwing that His hur had cme that He wuld depart ut f this wrld t the Father, having lved His wn wh were in the wrld, He lved them t the end. Jhn 13:2 During supper, the devil having already put int the heart f Judas Iscarit, the sn f Simn, t betray Him, In v.1 we hear that Jesus is meeting with the disciples befre the feast f Passver The passver was celebrated n the 14th f Nisan n the Jewish calendar Ntice that Jhn says that this meeting is happening befre the feast f Passver Luke sets the scene in similar way Luke 22:1 Nw the Feast f Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passver, was appraching. Luke 22:2 The chief priests and the scribes were seeking hw they might put Him t death; fr they were afraid f the peple. Luke 22:3 And Satan entered int Judas wh was called Iscarit, belnging t the number f the twelve. As yu prbably knw, Passver is a feast prescribed in the Law fr Israel t bserve in cmmemratin f their exdus frm Egypt The Law required each family t sacrifice and eat a lamb The feast was t be celebrated by families in in small grups f arund ten peple r s In the days preceding the feast, the family brught the lamb int their hme and inspected it t ensure it is free f defects Then n the 14th day f the mnth f Nisan, the lamb was slain And the Passver meal was eaten befre twilight n that same day 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 13 6 f 23 Cmplicating ur understanding, the Jewish way f reckning a day designates that a new day begins at sundwn, nt at midnight Each calendar day cnsisted f a12 hurs f dark fllwed by 12 hurs f daylight Therefre, the 14th day f Nisan began like all days: at sundwn Since the lamb wasn t t be slain during the nighttime hurs, the sacrifice must wait until the daylight hurs Naturally, the meal must als wait until the afternn Since the Law required it be eaten befre twilight n that day, the Passver meal was cnsumed n the afternn f the 14th after the lamb was slain But when we lk at the meal Jesus shares with the disciples, we find a different pattern This meal is being prepared n the night befre the Passver Feast Jhn has said this meal happened befre the Passver feast tk place and Luke said the Feast was appraching (i.e., nt here yet) And we knw frm all the Gspel accunts that this meal was held befre the day Jesus was crucified They are still eating the meal n the 14th f Nisan as required, since the day began at sundwn But it s happening befre the lambs were sacrificed, in the evening befre the nrmal day f celebratin Hw d we explain this change? First, we knw that Jesus dies during the daylight hurs f the Passver day Which means He dies n the afternn f the 14th f Nisan just like the Passver lambs Naturally, dying n the crss precludes Him frm eating His Passver meal with the disciples at the usual time By the afternn f the day f Passver, Jesus wuld already be dead 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 13 7 f 23 - Sacrificed fr the sins f the wrld Therefre, the nly way Jesus culd bserve a Passver meal with the disciples was if He mved the meal up t the prir night The Law requires that the meal be finished by twilight n the 14th f Nisan But it places n restrictin n hw early the meal culd be eaten n that day S Jesus was still celebrating the meal n the 14th f Nisan as required He just changed cnventin t accmmdate his appintment with the crss But what abut the lamb they ate at that table? The lamb they cnsumed at the Last Supper culdn t have been sacrificed as required by the Law In rder fr their lamb t be ready fr dinner n that evening, it must have been killed, prepared and rasted earlier that day, which was the 13th f Nisan Since the Passver lamb had t be killed n the 14th f Nisan, their lamb culdn t have been cnsidered a Passver sacrifice S hw did the meal Jesus ate with the disciples satisfy the Law s requirement that they eat a lamb slain n the 14 f Nisan? In the synptic Gspel, Jesus interrupts the meal t take sme bread and wine and then declares they are His bdy and bld Jesus made thse elements representative f His wn bdy, which wuld be slain n the prper day S it wasn t the rasted lamb at the table that fulfilled the Passver requirement The lamb f the Last Supper was Jesus Himself as represented in thse elements Symblically, the Lamb f that Passver was cnsumed in advance f His death, fr that was the nly way it culd happen 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 13 8 f 23 As Jesus tld the crwd in Jhn 6, unless they wuld eat His flesh and drink His bld, they wuld nt be saved We will return t studying the timeline f the events surrunding Jesus death as we mve further thrugh Jhn s Gspel Fr nw, we rejin Jesus and the disciples in the waning hurs f daylight n Wednesday, April 21, AD 34 (a date we will examine later as well) The day f Passver is abut t begin at sundwn And as the ther Gspels tells us, Jesus has tld the disciples that He earnestly wished t celebrate the Passver meal with them If they thught the request was a bit dd, they dn t say anything An upper rm has been prepared fr Jesus It makes sense that a rm culd have been prepared fr the Passver meal yet g unused Remember, this meal is taking place the night befre it nrmally wuld S the rm was prepared but nt expecting guests fr anther 24 hurs except Jesus As the men assemble in the rm, Jhn pens the scene f the meal remarking n Jesus s amazing mindset Jesus knew that His death was mere hurs away He knew that He wuld die and He knew hw He wuld die And yet His fcus remained n shwing lve t thse wh were His, Jhn says We wuld have understd had Jesus been a little distracted r even n edge Instead, He s kind, calm and purpseful in all that He des This leads Jhn s cnclusin that Jesus lved them t the end In this cntext Jhn s referring specifically t Jesus willingness t serve the disciples even in the midst f His mental suffering He was unimaginably burdened by what lay ahead 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 13 9 f 23 Still, He wanted t use these last hurs t teach lessns that wuld stay with the disciples frever Even mre remarkable is the way Jesus served the very ne wh wuld betray Him and bring abut His death Judas was still amng the twelve as this Passver began in the upper rm, thugh he wn t be there at its cnclusin And we re tld Satan had already sparked in Judas the desire t betray Jesus Judas was nt a true disciple, as Jesus highlighted in chapter 6 Judas is a devil, yet Jesus recruited him fr a specific purpse And that purpse is abut t be fulfilled Judas serves as a useful study fr us in hw the enemy wrks within the hearts f the wrld The enemy has dminin ver fallen humanity as their slave master Hebrews tells us that the enemy has enslaved sinful men thrugh fear f death Every unbeliever is a target fr the enemy s agents t indwell and pssess And even befre he takes that step, the enemy can influence the thughts and the unbeliever, as we see here We find anther useful example in the bk f Acts Acts 13:6 When they had gne thrugh the whle island as far as Paphs, they fund a magician, a Jewish false prphet whse name was Bar-jesus, Acts 13:7 wh was with the prcnsul, Sergius Paulus, a man f intelligence. This man summned Barnabas and Saul and sught t hear the wrd f Gd. Acts 13:8 But Elymas the magician (fr s his name is translated) was ppsing them, seeking t turn the prcnsul away frm the faith. Acts 13:9 But Saul, wh was als knwn as Paul, filled with the Hly Spirit, fixed his gaze n him, Acts 13:10 and said, Yu wh are full f all deceit and fraud, yu sn f the devil, yu enemy f all righteusness, will yu nt cease t make crked the straight ways f the Lrd? 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 13 10 f 23 Knwing that the wrld is the playgrund f the enemy is imprtant t cnducting urselves in a wise and discerning manner The enemy has real pwer, but the Lrd has infinitely greater pwer Paul was filled by the Spirit, which was the surce f his pwer against the enemy And this mment at the Passver als reflects that hierarchy Satan is already at wrk striving t bring the end f his enemy, Christ But his prgress is entirely dependent n the Lrd permissin s At the end f the age, the Lrd brings Satan t his final reckning, but nt until the Lrd has used Satan t accmplished everything the Lrd desires Then in v.3 Jhn says that despite knwing that Jesus had cme frm the right hand f Gd almighty and that all Creatin had been given t Him, nevertheless Jesus begins t serve Jhn 13:3 Jesus, knwing that the Father had given all things int His hands, and that He had cme frth frm Gd and was ging back t Gd, Jhn 13:4 gt up frm supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a twel, He girded Himself. Jhn 13:5 Then He pured water int the basin, and began t wash the disciples feet and t wipe them with the twel with which He was girded. Jesus laid aside His garments This means he dressed himself as a slave, remving his uter clak Jesus std nly girded at the waist while the disciples remained reclined at the table Remember, the table wuld have been n the grund, with the disciples reclining n the grund Their feet wuld have been stretched ut behind them And then Jesus tk a twel and a basin f water and began t wash the disciples dusty feet 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 13 11 f 23 In a prper hme, a servant f the hme s master wuld have had the duty f washing the feet f the guests befre the meal But there were n servants in this rm...just Jesus and the disciples Perhaps a few f the disciples nticed that there was n ne in the huse t perfrm the traditinal ft washing service prir t the meal Clearly, nne f the disciples wuld cndescend t perfrm that duty fr the sake f their brethren Luke recrds that nly a few mments earlier, these same men had been arguing amng ne anther ver wh wuld be the greatest in the kingdm S it seems they were t prideful t address the need and were resigned t g withut S instead, their rabbi takes it upn Himself t wash their feet as a lessn Warren Wiersbe makes an excellent bservatin abut Jesus lessn f humility "We tday, just like the disciples that night, desperately need this lessn n humility. The church is filled with a wrldly spirit f cmpetitin and criticism as believers vie with ne anther t see wh is the greatest. We are grwing in knwledge, but nt in grace... As Jesus reaches Peter s feet, he is the first t bject Jhn 13:6 S He came t Simn Peter. He said t Him, Lrd, d Yu wash my feet? Jhn 13:7 Jesus answered and said t him, What I d yu d nt realize nw, but yu will understand hereafter. Jhn 13:8 Peter said t Him, Never shall Yu wash my feet! Jesus answered him, If I d nt wash yu, yu have n part with Me. Jhn 13:9 Simn Peter said t Him, Lrd, then wash nt nly my feet, but als my hands and my head. Jhn 13:10 Jesus said t him, He wh has bathed needs nly t wash his feet, but is cmpletely clean; and yu are clean, but nt all f yu. Jhn 13:11 Fr He knew the ne wh was betraying Him; fr this reasn He said, Nt all f yu are clean. 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 13 12 f 23 Peter is disturbed at the ntin f Jesus washing His feet Jesus tries t explain that the meaning f Jesus actins wn t make sense nw but will in the near future Jesus is perfrming a simple physical act t teach an imprtant spiritual lessn Jesus s cncern wasn t fr the cleanliness f the disciples bdies Nr was Jesus wrried abut satisfying Jewish dining custms Nr was this merely a lessn in humility r service, thugh it bviusly carried that message as well Jesus is creating a beautiful picture f the meaning f His death n the crss First, there is a picture created by their dirty feet But by Jesus sacrificial death, He will make His disciples spiritually clean Our dirt f ur sinful walk is remved by Jesus sacrificial act n the crss He will wash away their sins by His wn bld Ntice when Peter bjected t Jesus cleansing, Jesus tld Peter it was the nly way He culd be cleansed Withut this cleansing, Peter culd nt be a part f what Jesus was wrking t achieve We must be cleansed by the bld f Christ r else we will never see the Kingdm Of curse, Peter desn t understand the spiritual dimensin, just as Jesus said he wuldn t S he tells Jesus t wash all f him Jesus then adds that this grup is clean already, meaning they had already been frgiven by their faith It still remains fr Jesus t accmplish the atning wrk n the crss But like Abraham and all saints, these men have already been justified by faith in Gd s prmises 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 13 13 f 23 This statement is imprtant because it reminds us that this physical cleansing was nt the surce f these men salvatin N ne can argue that this washing r any ther (like baptism) is required fr salvatin But nevertheless, this cleansing was necessary because it created a pwerful picture that Jesus was determined t prvide Ntice als that Jhn is careful t clarify that ne f these men is nt clean, meaning Judas By saying Judas wasn t clean, we have ur clearest evidence yet that Judas was nt a believer He was nt saved by faith He was an unbeliever attached t the grup and brught int the inner circle s that a betrayer wuld be available Irnically, Peter s prtest highlights the secnd lessn Jesus was teaching Jesus is mdeling the way Jesus disciples will serve Christ s fllwers Disciples are t set aside persnal ambitin and the pride that prvkes such thinking t serve the needs f thers Peter s cmments sund pius, but they are nthing but pride Peter was t be seen as the ne disciples humble enugh t refuse Jesus gesture As we say, Peter was prud f his humility And as Shakespeare wrte, he dth prtest t much His prtest sunds hllw We knw Peter spke up (when thers didn t) as pprtunity t stand ut frm his peers He wan t his prtest t reflect credit upn himself His primary interest wasn t Jesus hnr, but his wn S Jesus reinfrces the secnd purpse in His washing by emphasizing the mdel f a disciple 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 13 14 f 23 Jhn 13:12 S when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said t them, D yu knw what I have dne t yu? Jhn 13:13 Yu call Me Teacher and Lrd; and yu are right, fr s I am. Jhn 13:14 If I then, the Lrd and the Teacher, washed yur feet, yu als ught t wash ne anther s feet. Jhn 13:15 Fr I gave yu an example that yu als shuld d as I did t yu. Jhn 13:16 Truly, truly, I say t yu, a slave is nt greater than his master, nr is ne wh is sent greater than the ne wh sent him. Jhn 13:17 If yu knw these things, yu are blessed if yu d them. Jhn 13:18 I d nt speak f all f yu. I knw the nes I have chsen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, HE WHO EATS MY BREAD HAS LIFTED UP HIS HEEL AGAINST ME. Jhn 13:19 Frm nw n I am telling yu befre it cmes t pass, s that when it des ccur, yu may believe that I am He. Jhn 13:20 Truly, truly, I say t yu, he wh receives whmever I send receives Me; and he wh receives Me receives Him wh sent Me. Nw the lessn begins, as Jesus asks them d they understand what He has dne? There s n evidence they tried t answer, and I expect they weren t ging t, s Jesus mves directly t answering it fr them He says they acknwledge Him as the Teacher and Lrd These titles are accurate and there they are right t use them f Jesus But these titles are nt badges f hnr that we all aspire t gain fr urselves We dn t aspire t receive the hnr that is uniquely due t ur Lrd As anther saying ges, there is a Gd, and yu aren t Him S then Jesus asks them t cnsider what des it mean if their Lrd and Teacher humbles Himself t wash their feet? Clearly, if the Lrd is nt abve perfrming acts f selflessness and sacrifice, then nne f His disciples are either As Jesus, a slave is nt greater than his Master Therefre, the lessn fr Peter and the rest is t emulate Jesus attitude and actins in hw they serve the church 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 13 15 f 23 But then Jesus adds that knwing this principle is nt enugh The disciples must be prepared t put it int actin Ntice in v.17 that they will be blessed by Gd when they d what Jesus did Many students f the Bible are smart enugh t see that sacrificial service t the bdy f Christ is an imperative But nly thse wh make it a practice f their lives will receive Gd s blessing Once again, Jesus makes a distinctin adding that He is nt speaking equally t everyne: Judas isn t included Jesus knew that what He was speaking simply wasn t being received by Judas His ears were hearing the wrds Jesus spke, but they were wrds speaking t believers nly Jesus says He knew wh He had chsen, but what des He mean chsen? All 12 men had been chsen t be in the grup f twelve But Jesus means He knew the 11 f the twelve wh were chsen fr salvatin Judas had nt been chsen t be brn again Instead, Judas was included s that the scripture wuld be fulfilled that ne clse t the Messiah wuld betray Him Jesus quted frm Psalm 41:9 t emphasize that there was a purpse in selecting smene fr His twelve wh was nt als selected fr salvatin There must be at least ne traitr amng the twelve if Gd s plan fr the crucifixin is t be carried ut As we ll see, the act f betrayal fllws the eating f the Passver bread Since s many imprtant and unexpected things are abut the happen t Jesus, He tells the disciples that they will be tld in advance f these things 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 13 16 f 23 S that as they cme t mind in the days and weeks after they ccur, the disciples will have reasn t pnder their meaning When the Lrd yu lve and fllw dies at the hand f His enemies, it s hard t make sense f that utcme The disciples might be tempted t cnclude that Jesus wasn t truly Gd Or that Gd isn t all pwerful On the ther hand, if Jesus tells yu everything that s ging t happen in advance, yu have reasn t recnsider the meaning f these things It will becme clear that Jesus intended fr these things t happen In fact, He said He must die And he says hw it will happen S clearly, if He knew what was ging t happen in advance, then He culd have stpped it r avided it Since He didn t, it must have served His purpse And that line f thught eventually leads the apstles t a deep appreciatin f what happened S that as they becme His representatives, they are in a psitin t cnvince thers f the truth f His claims Nevertheless, their success in that missin remains dependent n the Lrd t wrk thrugh them Ntice in v.20 the Lrd says that thse wh wuld receive Jesus will likewise receive His ambassadrs When we have been brn again by the Spirit we jin a family f believers And that family knws its wn and receives its wn Like any ther family, we may nt always like ne anther, but we will always lve ne anther Having referred t Judas and his purpse n several ccasins already, Jesus decides its time t dismiss the traitr nw 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 13 17 f 23 Jhn 13:21 When Jesus had said this, He became trubled in spirit, and testified and said, Truly, truly, I say t yu, that ne f yu will betray Me. Jhn 13:22 The disciples began lking at ne anther, at a lss t knw f which ne He was speaking. Jhn 13:23 There was reclining n Jesus bsm ne f His disciples, whm Jesus lved. Jhn 13:24 S Simn Peter gestured t him, and said t him, Tell us wh it is f whm He is speaking. Jhn 13:25 He, leaning back thus n Jesus bsm, said t Him, Lrd, wh is it? Jhn 13:26 Jesus then answered, That is the ne fr whm I shall dip the mrsel and give it t him. S when He had dipped the mrsel, He tk and gave it t Judas, the sn f Simn Iscarit. Jhn 13:27 After the mrsel, Satan then entered int him. Therefre Jesus said t him, What yu d, d quickly. Jhn 13:28 Nw n ne f thse reclining at the table knew fr what purpse He had said this t him. Jhn 13:29 Fr sme were suppsing, because Judas had the mney bx, that Jesus was saying t him, Buy the things we have need f fr the feast ; r else, that he shuld give smething t the pr. Jhn 13:30 S after receiving the mrsel he went ut immediately; and it was night. Judas is being remved frm the meal at this pint, because what s abut t fllw is nly apprpriate fr thse wh are truly Christ s disciples S Jesus, fearful again f His cming death, puts the wheel in mtin that we bring abut his painful death In keeping with His prmise, he tells them in advance that He will be betrayed by ne f His disciples Naturally, t hear these wrds greatly perplexes the eleven, wh can t understand hw this wuld happen They can t begin t guess wh it wuld be This detail in itself is surprising t me We knw Judas is a devil, as Jesus called him Jhn said earlier that Judas was stealing mney frm the mney bx He is an unbeliever amng men wh knw and lve the Lrd And yet knw ne suspect Judas is the ne t betray the Lrd 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 13 18 f 23 It s a sbering reminder that we can be surrunded by men and wmen wh play the part well but have nthing in their hearts The Gspel isn t a way f life t be adpted It isn t a way f thinking t be argued It s a spiritual rebirth that Gd alne accmplished in the heart f His children It s prmpted by the hearing f Gd s wrd And it s cnsummated by the wrk f the Spirit At this mment, Jhn reveals that he was leaning n Jesus, which means he was seated t the right hand side f Jesus This is the first time Jhn refers t himself as the disciple Jesus lved This is a turn f phrase by Jhn He s nt suggesting that he was Jesus favrite r that he was lved mre than the ther disciples It s a statement f Gd s grace spken in humility Jhn is emphasizing that it was Jesus lve fr him that was the fundatin fr his relatinship with Jesus And f curse, this same thing culd be said abut every disciple Irnically, Jhn chse t refers t himself in this way rather than in the first persn s as t diminish himself while emphasizing Christ s lve Therefre, Jhn is seated next t Jesus Traditinally, the Passver table was arranged s that the mst hnred say at the right end f the table with the grup arranged arund the table The ne seated t the left f Jesus wuld have been the ne presumed t have the next greatest hnr And s n arund the table until yu reached the ther side There was ne except t this rule 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 13 19 f 23 The yungest was psitined immediately t the right f the mst hnred persn It was a psitin intended t preserve the yungest frm always being away frm the actin Since men reclined n their left elbw, the yungest persn wuld naturally recline against the ne f highest hnr S Jhn must have been the yungest disciples in the grup He reclines next t Jesus, with his head practically tuching Jesus right shulder Peter must have been seated sme distance frm Jesus, perhaps directly ppsite Jhn If s, then Peter has assumed a psitin f sme humility at the table, seating himself a distance frm Jesus Therefre, Peter wants Jhn t slicit mre infrmatin frm Jesus, s he gestures t Jhn since he was physically the clsest t Christ Jhn relays the request t Jesus T fulfill scripture, Jesus declares that the ne wh eats the mrsel He dips is the betrayer Jesus may have spken this sftly just t thse next t him, nt necessarily t the whle table The bread was the Passver unleavened bread and it was dipped prbably int the paschal stew r perhaps int the bitter herbs If Jesus culd reach Judas with this mrsel, then it suggests Judas tk the seat immediately left f Jesus That wuld have been the mst hnred psitin after Jesus Himself Anther irny and indicatin f Judas pride and self-deceit We might als cnclude that Jesus ffered this seat t Judas fr this very mment - As the saying ges, keep yur friends clse and yur enemies clser 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 13 20 f 23 Jhn recrds that at this mment, Satan entered Judas The wrd entered indicates an indwelling f Judas bdy by the enemy himself This shws us hw strngly Satan tk interest in the destructin f the Messiah Satan nrmally uses his agents t indwell and direct the bdies f unbelievers frm time t time (including tday) It s a rare event when Satan himself steps in He des it here and later in the life f the antichrist t cme Matthew recrds that Judas reacts with surprise t learn he is the ne t betray Christ Perhaps he s just feigning surprise Or perhaps his rle as betrayer wasn t frmed in his heart fully And it required the indwelling f Satan t bring him t that pint The mre we cnsider the interplay between Judas and the enemy, the mre revealing it becmes We knw that Judas takes his wn life after Jesus death, which suggests he felt regret at his actins But these actins are nt the same as saving faith, f curse Unbelievers can d the wrng thing and feel regret in the end withut that repentance being evidence f Gd s saving wrk in their hearts Furthermre, we might cnclude that withut Satan s direct influence, Judas might nt have gne thrugh with the plan S taking all these pssibilities int accunt, I arrive at the cnclusin that Judas was placed within Jesus inner circle as a pawn available t Satan Judas was an unbeliever living in the flesh and s he fllwed Jesus as far as flesh can fllw Gd He was drawn by the ntriety f Jesus, flattered t be chsen and remained cmmitted fr as lng as it benefitted him 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 13 21 f 23 He stle a little mney alng the way And generally understd Jesus ministry as an pprtunity t get in n the grund flr f smething new and exciting But because he was withut the Spirit f Gd, he was an empty vessel, spiritually speaking Like every unbeliever, he was an asset that Satan cntrlled And Jesus included Judas in the grup knwing that Judas was the nly ne Satan culd cntrl Remember, when Jesus taught n demns pssessin, He states that unless a persn is under the cntrl f the Spirit f Gd, he remains available t the enemy Luke 11:24 When the unclean spirit ges ut f a man, it passes thrugh waterless places seeking rest, and nt finding any, it says, I will return t my huse frm which I came. Luke 11:25 And when it cmes, it finds it swept and put in rder. Luke 11:26 Then it ges and takes alng seven ther spirits mre evil than itself, and they g in and live there; and the last state f that man becmes wrse than the first. S hw d we see Judas? He was an unbeliever susceptible t Satan s deceptins and authrity He was psitined by Christ s that Gd s plan wuld be accmplished Thugh the Lrd is never the authr f sin, He knws hw t put it t wrk t accmplish His gd purpses In this case, Jesus put t wrk Satan s desire t destry the Messiah and Judas desire t enhance his pcketbk and eg And a dg returns t its vmit, as the saying ges Judas was nt inncent, but nr was he the mastermind nr even the agent f Jesus betrayal The blame always traces t Satan And his antics pllute everyne he tuches, including Judas This is why the writer f Hebrews says 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 13 22 f 23 Heb. 2:14 Therefre, since the children share in flesh and bld, He Himself likewise als partk f the same, that thrugh death He might render pwerless him wh had the pwer f death, that is, the devil, Heb. 2:15 and might free thse wh thrugh fear f death were subject t slavery all their lives. Finally, Jesus tells Judas t d what he is abut t d with haste, and as Judas departs the disciples are cnfused It s bvius despite Jesus wrds that they dn t realize Judas is the betrayer and abut t turn Jesus in Even thugh Jesus called it ut in advance, everyne missed it Hw is this pssible? Other than lack f attentiveness, we might explain it as a supernatural act Imagine what might have happened in the mment if ne r mre f the disciples knew Judas was leaving t betray the Lrd? Wuldn t they have tried t stp him? Once again, we see the Lrd rchestrating every detail t ensure His trip t the crss And nce again, we have t marvel at Jesus bedience, knwing He culd have stpped the plan simply by skipping ne f these details...yet He didn t The disciples try t explain Judas departure as an errand They think he is ging t get things t prepare fr the Passver feast This is further evidence that this meal was nt the nrmal time fr a Passver celebratin The nrmal Passver feast wuld take place n the fllwing afternn S the disciples think Judas is ging t make a purchase fr the next day s meal (since he held the funds) If this meal were the prper Passver meal, then they wuldn t have made that assumptin 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 13 23 f 23 Ntice als it was nighttime as he departed This is imprtant fr tw reasns First, it cnfirms ur timeline that this meal is taking place n the 14th f Nisan after nightfall And yet it s taking place t early t be the nrmal Passver meal, since the lambs haven t yet been sacrificed Secndly, it s ne f Jhn s classic devices t represent spiritual pwer Darkness is the picture f the enemy and sin and death And as Judas leaves the gathering, the wrld enters a perid f extreme darkness spiritually Fr a time, the Father is ging t put His Sn int the hands f the enemy and His agents Fr a time, the rder f Creatin will be flipped, in a sense The enemy will take the life f Gd, s t speak The Lrd will subject Himself t evil scheme f Satan and darkness will fall upn the wrld But in three days, the darkness will be defeated Phil. 2:5 Have this attitude in yurselves which was als in Christ Jesus, Phil. 2:6 wh, althugh He existed in the frm f Gd, did nt regard equality with Gd a thing t be grasped, Phil. 2:7 but emptied Himself, taking the frm f a bnd-servant, and being made in the likeness f men. Phil. 2:8 Being fund in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becming bedient t the pint f death, even death n a crss. Phil. 2:9 Fr this reasn als, Gd highly exalted Him, and bestwed n Him the name which is abve every name, Phil. 2:10 s that at the name f Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, f thse wh are in heaven and n earth and under the earth, Phil. 2:11 and that every tngue will cnfess that Jesus Christ is Lrd, t the glry f Gd the Father. 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.