.png)
John – From the Upper Room... (2 of 12)
Betrayal and Denial Are Coming Quickly
John 13:18-38
We’re focusing on the final hours Jesus spent with His disciples before His arrest and death on the cross! The setting is an upper room of a house in Jerusalem during the Feast of Passover.
Jesus predicts being betrayed by Judas and denied by Peter. As we ponder these difficult realities we will be compelled to see and consider Jesus’ sovereignty and love.
John 13:18-30 (ESV) –
“ 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.’ I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”
“After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus' side, so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?” 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. Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. 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. So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.”
1. Jesus shocked His disciples announcing that He would be betrayed – He announced He would be betrayed by one of the 12.
John 13:18 (ESV) –
“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.’”
Psalm 41:9 (ESV) –
“Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.”
If you’ve experienced the sting of betrayal, Jesus understands. One of the glorious truths of the incarnation is – God never wonders what something feels like.
John 13:19 (ESV) –
“I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he.”
John 13:19 (ESV, emphasis mine) –
“...you may believe that I am he.”
John 13:19 (NIV, emphasis mine) –
“ …you will believe that I am who I am…”
John 8:58 (ESV, emphasis mine) –
“Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
Exodus 3:14 (ESV, emphasis mine) –
“I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”
John 18:4-6 (ESV, emphasis mine) –
“Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.”
Jesus tells them – I’m telling you what’s coming in the future and when you look back, you’ll be able to see who I am and believe!
John 13:20 (ESV) –
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”
John 20:21 (ESV) –
“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”
Imagine you’re one of the 12. Jesus has just washed your feet and now He’s saying
John 13:21 (ESV) – “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”
Luke 22:1-6 (ESV) –
“Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people.”
“Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd.”
John 13:21 (ESV) –
“...one of you will betray me.”
John 13:24 (ESV) –
“...ask Jesus of whom he was speaking.”
John in 19:26-27 (ESV, emphasis mine) –
“When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.”
John 13:25 (ESV) –
“Lord, who is it?”
John 13:26 (ESV) –
“It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.”
John 13:27 (ESV) –
“What you are going to do, do quickly.”
John 13:30 (ESV) –
“So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.”
The condition of Judas’ soul was much darker than physical night. Judas loved the darkness, he abandoned and betrayed Jesus who is Himself, The Light of the World.
Jesus came to lay down His life to save all who will ever trust in Him for salvation. Jesus, in love faced all of this for you and me. Without the cross we’d be eternally lost and without hope.
2. Judas’ departure set in motion the final road to the cross.
Upon Judas’ departure, Jesus called the remaining 11 disciples to love one another and He made another difficult prediction. He predicted being denied by Peter.
John 13:31-38 (ESV) –
“When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
“ Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.” Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.”
John 13:31-32 (ESV) –
“Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once.”
John 14:1-4 (ESV), emphasis mine) –
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.”
Consider how the disciples must have felt – Jesus had just washed their feet and after that there was all this talk of betrayal and denial.
John 13:34-35 (ESV) –
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Leviticus 19:18 (ESV, emphasis mine) –
“You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.”
We’re called to love as Jesus loved. We should be thinking of Jesus washing His disciples’ feet and of His laying down His life on the cross! Jesus says love is to be the identifying mark of His disciples. Our love for fellow Christians ought to be so deep that the world sees.
John 13:34 (ESV) –
“…love one another: just as I have loved you...”
John 13:36 (ESV) –
“Lord, where are you going?”
John 13:36 (ESV) –
“Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.”
John 13:37 (ESV) –
“Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”
Jesus predicts Peter will deny Him 3 times that night before the rooster crows. Peter’s denials immediately followed his passionate promise of loyalty.
3. Reflecting on Jesus being betrayed by Judas and denied by Peter ought to transform our perspective.
Romans 5:8 (ESV) –
“...God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
1 John 4:10 (ESV) –
“In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
• Reflecting on Judas’ betrayal reminds us that the path Jesus took to the cross was purposeful. This is not a picture of out-of-control events. In this picture we see God in complete control and His love magnificently displayed!
John 10:14-15 (ESV, emphasis mine) –
“I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.”
Jesus could have stopped this at any point but it was God’s perfect plan to save. Jesus willingly, in love, laid down His life so that we can be saved.
Be sure to hear this – God understands, He never wonders what that feels like! For example – Does He know sting of betrayal coming from the closest of friends? YES! Ponder Jesus being betrayed, denied and abandoned. Jesus understands!
• Christ’s perfect love is the standard by which our Christian love is to be measured. Jesus commands us to love others as He has loved us!
John 13:34 (ESV) –
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”
How can we love those who don’t deserve it and who don’t love us in return? The answer is by considering the undeserved love that has been lavished on us!
1 John 4:19 (ESV) –
“We love because he first loved us.”
• Considering Peter’s denial ought to give us hope when we’re personally reminded of our own sinful failures.
Ecclesiastes 7:20 (ESV) –
“Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.”
Romans 7:24 (ESV) –
“Wretched man that I am!”
Allow Peter’s story to impress upon you the wonder of grace and give hope. Peter denied knowing Jesus 3 times in one night and Jesus lovingly restored Him. There is always a path of obedience and restoration from wherever we stand. In our sinful failures we need to run to Jesus.