John 13.35 part I
October 26th 2014
Milk
Okay. Welcome.
Let’s pray, sing the word of God set to music, sit in silent reflection and then when we come back pick our verse by verse study up at John 13:18.
PRAYER
MUSIC
SILENCE
Alright last week we left off at verse 17 where Jesus is teaching the twelve about serving.
He illustrated service by washing the disciples feet and the He instructed them on the importance of serving others from the heart.
After this lesson He says (in verse 17):
“If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.”
We are now going to read about Judas being exposed – and then leaving to betray the Lord.
I am going to walk through these passages rather quickly for a few reasons:
First, we pretty much know the story and there aren’t a lot of things about it to gain by delving deeply into supposition over it.
Hand in hand with this the story is a sad one. Any time someone departs from the light, from the truth, from the path with Christ it’s very sad and troubling. In the Christian sense this is the lesson behind Judas (in addition to lessons on avarice).
Finally, I find a truly interesting situation here:
Jesus has been teaching and talking and illustrating humble selfless serving of others, right?
And He tells all of the twelve:
“If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.”
Standing in direct opposition to this teaching, I mean at the opposite end of the spectrum of selfless service, we find the heart and acts of Judas, who, after hearing this lesson, will leave in an effort to serve himself. And the end result for the man is the antithesis of happiness or blessedness – it’s him swinging from the end of a rope.
Maybe the end lesson in Judas is “self-service can never be satiated . . . those who pursue it will always come to the end of their rope.”
So let me pick up a faster pace than usual for the next 12 verses, which begin at verse 18 where Jesus continues, saying:
18 “I speak not of you all: (Jesus says, meaning not all of you are going to hear or take my words to heart) I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.
19 Now I tell you (meaning I am telling you who will betray me) before it come, (before it happens) that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he.
(This seems to be the driving point to Jesus message when He walked the earth – to convince people that He was sent, that He was the promised Messiah. I mean right here this is the reason He is prophesying who His betrayer was, so that they would truly recognize Him as the promise One sent. He goes on to yet again reaffirm this to them, saying (verse 20):
20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
(This was His message – anyone who receives me – as the Messiah is receiving the invisible one who sent Him! Can you see it? The emphasis – over and over and over – I am He)
At this point Jesus then emphatically gets the ball rolling. In verse 18 He is still vague. But time is drawing in and so He speaks openly to the twelve sitting there with the cleanest feet in town – thank to their loving master. (21)
21 When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.
22 Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake.
23 Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. (This is John speaking of himself without ever mentioning his own name. And he gives us a little insight into the inner-workings of the apostles, saying)
24 Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him (beckoned John who was resting his head against the Lord and asked), that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake.
(Can you see it? Jesus says someone is going to betray Him and Peter catches John’s eyes and mouths or whispers, “Go on, ask Him, ask Him? Who is it?”)
25 He then lying on Jesus’ breast (John) saith unto him, Lord, who is it?
26 Jesus answered, “He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.”
This is an interesting passage for a number of reasons.
First of all, it appears that this was a private conversation between the Lord and John – one too which the others were not privy.
Secondly, it is believed that it was customary to take a piece of food and hand it to another in settings like this. At first I resisted this but realize we do this even today when we want someone to try something or have some food – we’ll break off a bite size piece and extend it so it’s not so unusual after all.
Third, what Jesus did with this food, which we might assume was a piece of bread, was dip it – presumably in the sauce that accompanied the ceremonial feast – and the Greek word we translated “dip” is the same word in Greek for . . . baptize.
I mention this because we “could” assume that Jesus totally immersed the morsel into the sauce and handed it to Judas, with it dripping down over his hand, and wrist and table – because baptism, according to some, means to totally immerse right?
Or we could realize that the function is symbolic of washing and the dipping of water baptism is symbolic not functional – meaning to dip a person in water suffices and we ought to get away from associating total immersion with the rite of water baptism.
This being said, I think total immersion is much MORE symbolic (especially when we relate it to being buried with Christ) and it feels better.
Just note that baptidzo means to dip – as proven by Jesus action with this morsel of food he hands to Judas.
27 And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly. (We talked about how the better Greek translations point out that Satan had already entered the man preying upon his proclivities toward avarice. John continues.)
28 Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him.
29 For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor.
30 He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night.
That last note of John’s is always so sad to me. It pictures physically for us what Judas is experiencing in his soul – moving from a well lit room (in the presence of the Light of the World) and into the dark of night, from His presence, away from fellowship he’d experienced for the past three years with the Lord and the others.
He was taught like the others. He was blessed with washed feet and morsels of bread. He had fellowship with the King, and with friends, and he chose to abandon it for life in the dark.
He chose it for money.
He chose it to feed himself.
Judas loved the darkness more than the light. Simple as that. We have all been guilty – and will be guilty – of the same.
May the lesson we learn from Judas help us readily see our vulnerability, the weakness in our flesh, the tenuous nature of our person – and realize that if a man has the ability to be with Jesus, walk with Him, be blessed of Him and know of Him can not only walk from Him but betray Him in the process, we can too – if we get to the point where we love the dark more . . . than we love Him.
Alright let’s continue with some amazing teachings – teachings that are at the heart of Christianity.
We’ll begin at verse 31 ad end at 35.
John 13:31 Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him.
32 If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him.
33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you.
34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
Alright, back to verse 31.
31 Therefore, when he (Judas) was gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him.”
With Judas literally walking toward the enemies of Christ with betrayal in his heart everything was now in motion for the Lord complete His life’s work which, once accomplished, would bring glory and honor to Him as the Son.
Listen carefully, within Him there was glory that always existed. What scripture refers to as the fullness of the Godhead. Jesus clearly states (later in scripture) that He (as the Word) had glory with God before the world was.
But as the Son of God, God in flesh – MAN – He was not yet glorified. Understanding this we might ask:
How or by what was Jesus, the Son of Man, glorified? This may surprise you. He was glorified through . . . merit.
Works of righteousness. Obedience to the Law. (Have you ever thought of this before?)
You mean Jesus wasn’t saved by grace through faith like us? Not in the least.
Listen – “Jesus” (Joshua) “the Son of Man,” earned His glory (can we even say His salvation?) through obedience to the Law – something no other person born of a woman could do – that’s why He did it – because we couldn’t.
The reason I added tentatively “His salvation” is because due to His taking on our sins He experienced a separation between Himself and God. And like the rest of us this separation needed to be reconciled.
For us the reconciliation comes by grace through faith in Him.
But for Him the reconciliation came by and through Him meriting it.
Had Jesus not assumed the sins of the world there would have never been a separation and therefore never a need for salvivic restoration.
But because of our sin He (the only righteous one to ever live) was separated from the Father (while on the cross) causing God in the flesh to cry, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?”
So, we might ask, “What was it that reunited the Son and Father? What saved Him, so to speak?”
His life and works of righteousness which in the end were really His fulfilling the Law of God – perfectly.
Listen to what Paul says in Galatians 4:1-5
“Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;
2 But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.
3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:
4 But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Where it says:
“But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law,”
That line, “made under the law,” means He was wholly subjected to its demands. And, out of love for the Father and Love for the rest of us, He submitted His will and obeyed.
In turn He redeemed us, or as scripture puts it, “to redeem them that were under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons.”
At first glance we might believe that Jesus only redeemed those who were under the bondage of God’s written law – the Jews.
Certainly, He came to them first. But we cannot forget that the rest of the pagan world (us gentiles) are not one whit less under God’s law for scripture plainly states that God has written His laws in the stars, in the human heart, in our conscience, and even presents them to us through the teachings that have come out of the Nation of Israel.
Therefore, Romans says, we are all “without excuse,” (meaning we are all guilty before God I the end.)
Understanding this about Jesus helps us comprehend His words in Matthew 5:17-18 where He says:
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, “Till heaven and earth pass,” one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”
(By the way, I would strongly suggest that looking at biblical language, phraseology from the Old Testament and other Hebraisms that the line “heaven and earth passing away” apply to end of the Nation of Israel at the destruction of Jerusalem, which, once done, caused everything about the Law – even every jot and tittle – to pass away.)
To say that Jesus earned His own salvation we would have to believe that without fail He was ever obedient to its demands – even as a child.
Scripture supports this. Even as a child, His parents ensured that they were, on His behalf, compliant to the Law.
Luke tells and interesting story in chapter two of His narrative. It’s an insightful peek into the early childhood of the Messiah. This is what Luke reports:
Luke 2:25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.
26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,
28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, (this is a beautiful blessing, by the way) which says:
29 “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:
30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.”
So, the Word of God became flesh and in so doing became the Son of God and subjected Himself in this flesh to all things under the Laws of God – and overcame them by fulfilling them perfectly – which enables Him to then redeem us.
This is what the writer of Hebrews says in relation to this:
Hebrews 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children (of God) are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham (a Jewish man).
17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted.”
When the writer of Hebrews says of the Lord Jesus
“that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage”
I would suggest that the death Jesus overcame was NOT only physical death but the other death that also comes by disobedience to the Law – spiritual death.
Paul says in Romans 7:5
“For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.”
Death, physical and spiritual, comes by disobedience to the Laws of God. Fulfilling the Law entirely, on our behalf – God’s laws – which were written in stone, in the stars, in the human heart, in scripture – which are perfect and good but impossible for us to keep, Jesus put “the law to death.”
Remove the law, remove guilt of sin.
“What?” you may ask, “Where? When? How?”
One the familiar passages that describes the Lord is found in Philippians 2:6-8, saying that He . . .
“Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
“Well,” you might say, “I get from that passage that Christ was put to death HIMSELF on the cross, but how can you say He put the law to death?”
When we think of the laws of the land, as in breaking them, we often hear in courts of law that we are charged with breaking this or that ordinance which are on the books.
Got that?
In Colossians 2:14 we read this, speaking of Christ’s work on the cross, that Jesus:
“Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that were against us, which were contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.”
The point being that Jesus, the Son of Man, had to earn His glory by and through obedience to every law, which, once He was successful, were NAILED to His cross . . . and wholly put to death.
Many religions believe that we too must fulfill the law (to the best of our ability) in order to be like Jesus.
The premise is not only redundant, it is impossible, and alters the gift Jesus gave the world by placing anyone who attempts to embrace it back under the Law – therefore making them sinful before God – because it is the presence of the Law that makes every person a sinner, and only the total absence of the Law that allows us to be seen as righteous.
It’s truly an amazing paradox because it leaves those who strive to keep the Law unto righteousness paradoxically sinful, frustrated and burdened.
So here in John Jesus tells His eleven that now all that was necessary for Him to be glorified (and to receive the glory the Father would bestow upon Him as the Son of Man for fulfilling the Law entirely) was in motion.
Here’s the COOL thing. How did Jesus, the Son of Man, fulfill the law and overcome the call of His flesh without fail?
(Think now)
By and through the same “end product” we all possess by having been saved by Him . . . grace, faith, love.
He fulfilled the whole law by grace.
And by the grace He gives us we are able to live and fulfill the Royal law of love too.
Remember what the first chapter of John, especially verse 14 says:
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of ???? grace and truth.”
By allowing this grace and truth to control His fleshly will and desires Jesus, the Son of Man was given all glory, honor, and power by the Father when He completed the task no man can ever come close to even touching.
And this caused God, on several occasions, to say in reference to His only Begotten Son that He was “well pleased.”
In fact bringing much of this in under one roof, Peter said in 2nd Peter 1:17
“For he (Jesus) received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, saying:
“This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Instead of thinking we too are required to fulfill the law we are instead required to first look to the author and finisher of our faith, by whom we receive the power, in the absence of law, to love (which stands in opposition to sin).
So after Judas left them and Jesus said:
“Now is the Son of man glorified,” He adds, “and God is glorified in him.”
This was God’s only begotton Son who was sent by God, represented God, taught all that God told Him to say, pursued the mission He had been given. It’s not surprising that Jesus, who came and took on this utterly incomprehensible and difficult task “well pleased the Father, who, through the performance of His Son, was glorified.
In a very limited and physical way any parent understand this, right? Our children, sent by us into the world every morning come back and having done what we desire of them – or excel at it all – give us (the parents) glory too right.
Now stay with me here – this is vital.
We cannot please the Father but we can please the Son whom He sent.
The Father was well pleased in His only begotten’s obedience to His perfect Law. The Father was well pleased with His only begotten’s total allegiance to Him and His will, and His directives, and His expectations of Him.
We cannot please the Father in this manner. It’s impossible. Only the Son could accomplish this – both to His own glory and the glory of the Father – but also on our behalf.
And so the way we please the Father is by doing what His Son commands and tells us to do.
As the one who pleased the Father, and in whose hands the Father has placed all power, all glory, and all honor, we look to Him and Him alone.
And we obey HIS commands – because we could not obey the commands of the Father.
So after fulfilling the Law and living a perfect life of love through utter suffering for us, He then looks at us and says:
“Listen, my yoke and my burden is light. Come to me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.”
He says, “No man comes to the Father but by me.” He says, “not one jot or tittle will pass until it is all fulfilled (in me, by the way) but to you I give a new commandment:
“To love one another, as I have loved you.”
And the weight of the law is removed but is replaced not by the heaviness of it, but by an action that is ONLY possible when it is approached through Him – love.
“Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him” then He adds a comment that essentially reiterates what I just said (verse 32)
32 If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him.
Remember the style of John’s writing (that it is not linear) and when He says that God will “straightway glorify Him” I would suggest that He is suggesting to the eleven that while God has been gloried by His life of obedience He was going to (in the near future) glorify the Son in and through His suffering, death, resurrection and ascension, which was coming “straightway.”
Bringing this notion to their attention once again – meaning His approaching passion, Jesus adds
33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you.
His hour was approaching and as a means to show them love and tenderness He refers to them with a term of endearment – little children.
John will use this term himself for believers when he writes his epistles later so I believe that he learned it from the Lord, and was probably so touched by it he applied it to those over whom he taught in the early church.
I want to try and get us to consider this passage for a moment – to put us in the context and situation.
Being who He was Jesus knew both what He was about to do and also what was going to happen to these men in the coming days, months, and years.
Try and imagine that you are fully cognizant that your children or people you love dearly are going to not only watch you suffer great abuse and even death in the coming days but also that they are going to begin to suffer to in a similar fashion . . . and you are getting ready to depart.
This is the setting and sentiments coming from Christ at this moment. He was their Lord and Master and He was sending them like lambs among wolves, like children before giants.
And He reminds them that, like He said earlier to some Jews, He is not long with them and that “where He is going, they cannot come.”
So, it seems or we might think (reading between the lines) that at this moment, with Judas gone from among them and Jesus readying Himself to go to His death, that He who lived the Law perfectly desired to give these men whom He loved the single most important directive or commandment of His mission and ministry. And so He says (verse 34 and 35)
“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
Having full filled the law, which they could not do, even with the Spirit residing in them they would continue to fail before its vast demands, the Lord turns and delivers to them another command that He expects of those who follow Him – to love.
And we note that He does not leave the command to loving alone, but adds a caveat, saying, “As I have loved you love one another.”
This is an EXTREMELY IMPORTANT deviation from how the world generally defines love and we’ll end today by talking about this point but first let’s address the words of this passage.
Jesus says:
“A new commandment I give unto you,”
Was it new?
Not at all.
Go back with me to Leviticus 19:18. It says:
“Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the LORD.”
So the command was there, but it appears that Christ was telling them that it was by this love shown, manifested, and displayed that would identify His disciples.
It would distinguish His disciples and all who are truly His from the rest of the world and those who claim to be His but are not.
Under the law what distinguished the nation of Israel was the allegiance and practice of the law.
They were known by their adherence to its relentless demands.
Having fulfilled the law, having fulfilled the law, having nailed all of its ordinances to the cross, having pleased the Father, Jesus tells these men that He wants them to be distinguished and known among men by their love for each other.
Not outward observances, not regimentations, not knowledge, not even faith – their love.
“Love one another,” He says, that’s all I am asking of you as you go forth into this world.
In time, Christians were not going to be known or identified by their dress as the Jews and other cultures and men of military and scholars were known.
I want you to be known by your love.
Christians can’t be known by what they eat or drink, what day of the week they choose to observe (if any) nor by their wealth (or lack of it) their status in the community, their education, their politics, or their genealogy. True Christians will be known by their love.
I think if Jesus could speak to us today He would add some addendums to the idea and say:
Christians are NOT known by what they reject, fight against or their distain for the world; neither are Christians known for the worship concerts they attend or the churches the promote but . . . ? ? ? ? by their . . . .? ? ? ? that’s right. Their (beat) love.
Did the apostles of Jesus think this new command He gave was important? Let’s consider the things they had to say.
Paul writes in 1st Thessalonians 4:9 “But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.”
1st Peter 1:22-23 says
“Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”
2nd Thessalonians 1:3 says “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all toward each other.”
Galatians 6:2 “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.”
Pushing through a cycle of character building elements Peter wrote:
2nd Peter 1:5-7 “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness love.”
James of course wrote contextually “that faith without love is dead.”
In all these places plus more we can see from the writings of the apostles that they considered love as the peculiar law of Christ and while their calls to love typically speak to believers loving each other, with agape love being a verb (or action) we even read in Galatians 6
Galations 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
Paul also wrote in 1st Thessalonians 3:12:
“And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you.”
The second part of this is Jesus not only commanding them to love one another, but to love “as He has loved them.”
We will open discussing this next week.
Q and A
Prayer
