johnoneofyouwillbetrayme

In our last study we looked at John 13:1-17 where Jesus washes the disciples feet.

In order to have a connection to today’s message let’s read:

John 13:12-17

12 So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you?

13 You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am.

14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.

15 For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.

16 Most assuredly [Amen, amen], I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.

17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

Jesus, in humility, has just given an example of how we must love one another by taking the role of a servant and washing the disciples’ feet. As followers of Jesus Christ we are commanded to love one another.

Christian love is defined for us in 1 Corinthians 13. Anything short of this expression of love is deficient.

Laying aside all pride and finding ways to do helpful things for one another best illustrate that love.

Jesus said the secret to happiness is to do the things that we know to do to serve one another. True happiness does not come from having things done for us because we can never be satisfied. But we can find ways to do something for others.

That act of humility is followed by the Lord telling His disciples:

“One of You Will Betray Me”.

Jesus was not surprised or in doubt about who it was that would betray Him.

John 6:70-71

70 Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?" 71 He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.

John 13:2

2 And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray Him,

John 13:10-11

10 Jesus said to him, "He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you."

11 For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, "You are not all clean."

So the Creator of everything that is not God, in the role of a Servant, tells the disciples that one of them will betray Him.

John 13:18-30

18 "I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, 'He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.' 19 Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He.

20 Most assuredly[Amen, amen], 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 these things, He was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me."

22 Then the disciples looked at one another, perplexed about whom He spoke.

23 Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.

24 Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask who it was of whom He spoke.

25 Then, leaning back on Jesus' breast, he said to Him, "Lord, who is it?"

26 Jesus answered, "It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it." And having dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.

27 Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, "What you do, do quickly."

28 But no one at the table knew for what reason He said this to him.

29 For some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus had said to him, "Buy those things we need for the feast," or that he should give something to the poor. 30 Having received the piece of bread, he then went out immediately. And it was night.

(18) Jesus continues to fulfill the OT Scriptures and He quotes Psalm 41:9.

Psalm 41:9

Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted,

Who ate my bread,

Has lifted up his heel against me.

David, in this psalm, is referring to Ahithophel. Ahithophel was counselor to King David but Ahithophel betrayed David by supporting David’s son Absalom in his rebellion against David.

King David is a type of Christ. Jesus says that when He is betrayed it will be a fulfillment of the Scripture.

Ahithophel ate bread with King David and then betrayed him.

Judas ate bread with King Jesus and betrayed Him.

There are many references in the OT that show the significance of “eating bread” with someone. It was a time of fellowship and trust. The oriental considered an attack by someone upon a person that has entertained him to be almost unthinkable.

Genesis 14:18-19

18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High.

19 And he blessed him and said:

Genesis 31:54

Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his brethren to eat bread. And they ate bread and stayed all night on the mountain.

Genesis 43:25

Then they made the present ready for Joseph's coming at noon, for they heard that they would eat bread there.

Ruth 2:14

Now Boaz said to her at mealtime, "Come here, and eat of the bread, and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar."

Eating another’s bread and then betraying him is to “lift up his heel”.

The image is a horse being fed and kicking his owner without warning.

Judas is the complete hypocrite. The other disciples never suspect that Judas is a thief and not one of them in spirit.

(19) Jesus knows that His disciples will be disturbed by Judas’ betrayal. He tells them that whatever happens to continue to believe that He is the “I AM”.

Jesus is the Great “I AM.”

The Lord willing we will discuss the “I AM” claims of Jesus of Nazareth when we get to Chapter 15.

(20) “Amen, amen”. Jesus emphasizes with the double amen that something very important is about to be stated. One writer said, “Jesus is saying, ‘This is God speaking.’ ”

So what did Jesus say? Christ and the Sender [The Father] are one. No one can reject the Sent One and in any way receive the Sender [The Father].

Jesus is the “Sent One” and there is no other way to God the Father.

This matter of “sending” includes the disciples. Judas was “sent out” along with the others. Does that mean that the people who believed in Jesus Christ when Judas preached the Gospel are not truly saved?

Of course not! Those who received the message received Christ, not the messenger. If the messenger proves to be false it does not mean the message cannot be used of God. God uses truth!

(21) Another “Amen, amen.” “One of you (twelve)...”

Jesus is deeply troubled in spirit.

What deeply troubles the Lord Jesus Christ?

When Jesus came to the tomb of his friend Lazarus and saw the effect of sin:

John 11:33

Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.

When Jesus anticipates the hour of His death on the cross when the Sinless Son of God will be made to be sin for His people.

John 12:27

"Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save Me from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour.

Here in verse 21 Jesus is troubled in spirit.

“Amen, amen,” I say to you, one of you will betray Me.”

(22) Jesus is not surprised. This event is determined by God’s eternal counsel and yet the one who betrays Jesus is fully responsible.

Matthew 26:20-25

20 When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve.

21 Now as they were eating, He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me."

22 And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, "Lord, is it I?"

23 He answered and said, "He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me. 24 The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born."

25 Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, "Rabbi, is it I?"

He said to him, "You have said it."

Mark 14:17-21

17 In the evening He came with the twelve.

18 Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me."

19 And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, "Is it I?" And another said, "Is it I?"

20 He answered and said to them, "It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish.

21 The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had never been born."

Luke 22:20-22

20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.

21 But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table.

22 And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!"

The sense of verse 22 is that the disciples were perplexed about what Jesus had said and they “kept looking” at one another.

Only Jesus knows that the betrayer is Judas. By not telling them who the betrayer is they each have an opportunity to examine their hearts.

Psalm 139:23-24

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me, and know my anxieties;

24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,

And lead me in the way everlasting.

(23) Picture a U- shaped low table with the disciples reclining on couches, leaned on one side with one hand free to handle the food.

John is on the right side of Jesus and Judas is on the left side and it is a place of honor to be at the right hand or left hand of an important person.

“The disciple Jesus loved,” is John the writer of this Gospel. It is not that Jesus did not love them all. Some think that this distinction may have been a given to John by the others. It is also true that John so describes himself in true humility.

1 John 3:1

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!

(24) One of the disciples can no longer bear the suspense, and it just has to be Peter. So Peter asks John to ask Jesus, “Who is it?”

Why doesn’t Peter ask for himself? Perhaps he is ashamed of himself for the way he at first refused to allow the Lord to wash his feet.

(25) John in child-like simplicity asks, “Lord, who is it?”

(26) Jesus answers that it is the one who will receive a morsel of bread after He has dipped it. The KJV calls this morsel a “sop.”

The “sop,” is a morsel of bread dipped in a mixture of bitter herbs, vinegar, salt, dates, figs, raisins mixed and mashed together.

Jesus immediately gave the morsel to Judas. Now John knows who it is!

(27) In verse 2 the evil suggestion has been put into the heart of Judas. Now Satan, the adversary, puts himself into Judas!

All the warnings have been ignored. Judas is now a completely hardened [reprobate] individual. No more warnings will be given; Jesus is through with Judas.

“What you do, do quickly!”

(28) Who knew what?

To borrow the oft quoted political “gotcha” question,

“What did he know and when did he know it?”

Jesus knew, Judas knew, John knew, and perhaps Peter knew.

(29) But all the disciples had heard what Jesus said to Judas and except for a few they are not aware of the mission of Judas.

Sometimes when news is so shocking you cannot “put two and two together.”

You think, “Surely that cannot be true!”

The others had never suspected Judas and now this?

Some thought Judas, who had the moneybox, was being sent out for supplies or to give something to the poor.

It occurs to me that if they thought Judas was going to give something to the poor that must have been something that they often did.

(30) Judas the pretender:

John 6:66-71

66 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.

67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?"

68 But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

70 Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?" 71 He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.

In 12:4-6 Judas pretended to be concerned for the poor.

In Matthew 26:25

Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, "Rabbi, is it I?"

Some translate this, “Surely not I? Master.”

And Judas the pretender took the morsel.

Judas has been found out and he must hurry before it is too late!

“And it was night.”

John 3:2 Nicodemus came to Jesus by night. It was “night” in Israel

It is “night” in the heart of Judas!

John 3:19

And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

James M. Boice:

Three lessons:

1 “Fallen man needs more than an example if he is to be saved.”

2 “The difficulty of discerning God’s elect.”E.g., The wheat and the tares.

3 “The patience of the Lord Jesus. Judas, yes, but His elect children as well.

We have seen the humility of our Lord and Savior as He takes the role of a Servant and washes His disciples’ feet.

We have seen the absolute knowledge and control of providence as Jesus knows and warns the one who will betray Him.

There must be a lesson about presumption here and I am frequently cautioned by what the Apostle Paul says about himself. Listen to the great apostle.

1 Corinthians 9:27

But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified [reprobate].

Knowing these things we also know that we have a sufficient Saviour who knows the hearts of all men.

John 2:25

and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.

Are you secure in your trust in Jesus Christ?

Have you made your calling and election sure?

Do not let the pride of thinking that you don’t want anyone to think you may not be saved to keep you from seeking the truth.

You are encouraged to talk with one of us about your soul. But I was reminded by an article I read this morning that I should urge you to go to Jesus Christ and cry out for mercy.

Amen