Josh Benner

Author: the Josh Benner Blog

  • Jesus and A new commandment. John 13:31-38

    Jesus and A new commandment. John 13:31-38

    Passing the point of no return. No turning back. Taking the plunge. There are a number of phrases to communicate the idea of an irreversible deed. Burning bridges, which is often used to refer to employment but originates with military imagery of eliminating all options but moving forward and not looking back. 

    Burning boats, similar meaning, such as when Cortez burned his ships when he brought men into Mexico. You can’t unring a bell. 

    Fait accompli is a French phrase for “already accomplished.” 

    And then there’s my personal favorite: “Crossing the Rubicon.” That refers to Julius Caesar taking an army across Rome’s Rubicon River in 49 B.C. as an act of insurrection through which Caesar became emperor of the Roman Empire. 

    When Judas left the last supper, a point of no return had been crossed. And on the night before Jesus died, the wheels were in motion for him to be betrayed, sold out to the Sanhedrin, and brought before the Romans on trumped up charges. 

    And with all of that happening, and Jesus knowing what was about to happen, as he sat with – then – eleven disciples, he was instructing them to love each other. 

    The main idea of our passage is: Jesus taught a world who killed him how to love. 

    That is the beauty of the gospel.That the world was sinful, so sinful that it killed its own savior, but it is through the death or our savior, that he died so that we could have life. 

    This passage divides nicely into three parts: a glorified savior, our call to love each other, and Christ’s greater love for us than our love for him. 

    A glorified savior

    John 13:31 begins: When he had gone out, 

    This is the departure of Judas. 

    He has left Jesus and the disciples and it is immediately after Judas has left that verse 31 continues: Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. 

    So John ties together Judas moving forward in his plot against Jesus with the glorification of Jesus which would happen at the cross. 

    Throughout this gospel, Jesus has pointed forward to the cross, pointed forward to his hour, pointed forward to glory. 

    Now it’s happening. 

    With Judas’ departure and Jesus’ statement “Now is the Son of Man glorified,” that seems to be the official beginning of Christ’s passion in John’s Gospel. Jesus speaks about what is going to happen as if it has already happened. 

    No turning back. 

    Jesus refers to himself as the Son of Man. Son of Man originates in Daniel 7 when depicting a vision of a heavenly figure in the clouds. And so as the glorification of Christ begins, he states that he is the apocalyptic Son of Man figure foretold in the Old Testament. 

    Jesus is glorified in the cross, but in this passage, Jesus also points to God being glorified in Christ.

    Jesus continues to speak of that mutual glorification in verse 32: If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once.

    God is glorified and he also glorifies Christ at the cross. 

    Glory of the world 

    It’s interesting to think of the things that the world glorifies. The world glorifies the beautiful, the famous, the rich. 

    We have accomplishments that we glorify. Great innovators, inventors, and entrepreneurs. We glorify political figures and influential leaders. 

    We glorify moments like when a team wins a championship or a singer leads thousands of people in singing a great rock anthem at a packed arena or stadium. 

    Those are the glorious moments that our world has to offer. 

    Jesus looks to him giving up his life as the moment when he would be glorified. 

    There are several aspects to Christ’s glorification at the cross. Christ is glorified at the cross by living a life where he perfectly revealed God to the world. 


    Hebrews 1:3: He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.

    Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God.

    In John 17:4, when Jesus is praying he will again talk of his fidelity to God.

    I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 

    Jesus is glorified by God in being obedient to the divine plan in going to cross. 

    The cross is the culmination of that perfect life. 

    Philippians 2:8-11: being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

    Jesus is glorified at the cross by undoing the curse of sin upon humanity. 

    Romans 5:18 says:  Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.

    Jesus is glorified at the cross by dying so that people can have forgiveness in him.

    Hebrews 2:9 says: Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

    Jesus displays glory at the cross by showing God’s love to the world. 

    John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 

    If God can take humanity’s great act of wickedness and rebellion in killing its own savior, surely God really can take the worst things that happen in our lives and work those for good as well. For his ultimate glory, God works all things for good. 

    On the night before Christ died, the thought that the cross could be the thing which God would use for the ultimate good and blessing of humanity would have seemed impossible. 

    At the cross, Jesus takes the ultimate example of humiliation, and it is worked for his exaltation. 

    At the cross, Jesus takes an act of great sin and works it for an act of greater grace. At the cross, Jesus takes hatred and shows love. 

    A call to love one another 

    Verse 33: 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.’

    He addresses the disciples here as “little children,” undoubtedly a term of endearment for these men. 

    This is a very endearing moment. Jesus is talking to a group of men with whom he had traveled for three years. 

    They had spent three years with the Lord of love. They had seen his glorious signs. They had seen him face opposition and turmoil. They had seen him live his life absolutely righteously and sinlessly. 

    He had been their friend. Their teacher. He had taught them how to truly live. 

    And here he is telling them that he must go and that they cannot come with him. 

    Twice in this gospel, once in John 7, once in John 8, Jesus is facing opposition from Jewish groups and he tells them that they will seek him but not find him. 

    He picks that language up again in this verse, but here, the tone is more optimistic. 

    In the first two instances, it serves more as a warning to come to him before it’s too late. 

    But the meaning is different here with his disciples. He must leave. First, in going to the cross, but even after the resurrection, his time with them will still be short and then he will have to leave to be with the Father.

    It’s also interesting that Jesus says: as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you

    The disciples are Jewish. But in pointing to the command that he is about to give to them, they have a newer and greater identity. 

    Verse 34: 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.

    The disciples are a new community united in Christ. 

    And before Jesus departs, he says a new commandment I give to you.

    Now, the command to love is not new. 

    We see it in the Old Testament. Leviticus 19:18 says: you shall love your neighbor as yourself

    That command gets picked up elsewhere in the gospels, such as the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. 

    So how is that given as a new commandment? 

    It’s a new commandment in the sense that the grounding for the command is new. Yes, there was a command to love your neighbor in the Old Testament law and as part of the Old Covenant. 

    But Jesus is reconstituting that commandment for his new covenant community. It’s a new command in the reason why we are to love one another. 

    Leviticus 19:18 says love your neighbor as yourself. 

    But Jesus says: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

    So in the Old Testament, the golden rule is to love your neighbor as yourself, to treat others as you would like to be treated. 

    But Jesus calls the disciples to an even higher form of love. They’re to love each other as Christ has loved them. And the glorification on the cross shows just how high a standard that love is. That we are to have gospel love for one another. 

    Jesus doesn’t say “a new suggestion I give to you,” “a new virtue I give to you,” “a new idea that I give to you,” but “a new commandment I give to you.” 

    You cannot love God without loving his people. And a sincere love for God is meant to flow into our love for people. 

    The Apostle John, who wrote the Gospel of John wrote three other letters, and 1 John largely revolves around love within the Christian community. 

    1 John 4:19, John says: We love because he first loved us.

    That is our command as believers in the gospel and as a church. To love one another well. It’s a high standard. 

    But it is meant to be a distinguishing mark of a Christian community. 

    Jesus told the disciples. 

     By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:35).”

    If you want to show people that you love Christ, you need to love his people. 

    1 John 4:20, John says:  If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. 

    Again, that is a high standard. Because not all people are equally loveable. And there can be disagreements. And there can be wounds. 

    So what does love for one another look like? 

    In the times when it’s difficult, may we remember that we have a savior who gave his life for us so we could have life in him. 

    Love is a complicated idea in our society. 

    C.S. Lewis and the 4 loves the four loves 

    There’s a well known book by C.S. Lewis called “the four loves” where he looks at the four Greek words for love and explores their meanings. 

    In some ways, I feel like that’s part of our problem in English. That we don’t have enough vocabulary to describe love. 

    We use the same word “love” to describe how we feel about our God, our spouses and our children that we use to talk about how we feel about our favorite restaurant, favorite team, and chocolate. 

    We use love to describe things we love and we use love to describe things that we enjoy. What is love? 

    I think we look to the love that Christ had and displayed throughout his ministry. 

    This list is by no means exhaustive but here are a few thoughts. 

    Love accepts. 

    Love doesn’t affirm sin. Jesus never affirms sin in the gospels. He never downplays sin and says “that’s ok, I love you.” But he always accepts. He’s always gracious. 

    Love sacrifices. 

    Jesus will say in John 15:13: Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

    Jesus sacrificed his life. It is very rare in our society that such a love is required of us. But there are still ways we can make sacrifices. Our time, our talent and skills, our treasure. 

    Love is active.

    Love is an action. Jesus is constantly serving people, ministering to people. 

    Love is forgiving. 

    Jesus displayed the ultimate forgiveness in going to the cross. We are called to forgive each other. To be gracious.  

    Ephesians 4:32 says: Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. 

    If anyone here has a history with someone with whom they have bad blood, my point isn’t that the sins of another are insignificant. But we still must work to forgive. Forgiveness comes as a cost. We see that on the cross. And when we personally forgive, that costs us something too. 

    Christ’s greater love for us than our love for him

    So Jesus has just given this incredibly important command for the disciples to love one another and how that communicates to the world that they are his disciples. 

    And Peter speaks up. As we so often see in the gospels, Peter is the one who speaks up first.

     13:36: Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?”

    Peter may or may not have even heard Jesus give them the command to love. All he’s focused on is when Jesus had preceded the command by saying he was going to be leaving them. 

    Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.”

    Peter cannot follow Jesus because Jesus is going to sacrifice himself for the sins of the world and that is not a mission through which anyone else can join him.

    But Jesus responds to Peter in giving a prophetic statement that Peter almost surely didn’t realize at the time. 

    Jesus said that Peter cannot follow him…now.

    But you will follow afterward. 

    Jesus is foretelling that Peter will one day follow Jesus in martyrdom. Obviously Peter’s death was not an atoning sacrifice the way that Christ’s was. But Peter, along with most of the disciples, would give his life for the gospel. 

    After Jesus died and rose, he commissioned Peter to be a leader in the early Church but he also tells Peter in John 21:18: Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.

    But it’s not yet the time for Peter to give his life for Jesus. Indeed, Peter is not yet ready for that. But Peter doesn’t want to hear it. 

    Verse 37: Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” 

    Peter says he will lay down his life for Jesus. It’s easy to say the things we’ll die for when we’re not in a life and death situation. Jesus has said that it’s true that one day, Peter will. 

    But Jesus knows Peter better than Peter knows himself and he knows that Peter will fail him. 

    Verse 38: 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. 

    I listened to a sermon recently and I forget who the preacher was but someone pointed out that after Jesus says this, in John’s gospel, Peter gets real quiet. 

    In chapters 14-17, Jesus will give a lot of teaching to his disciples and we hear nothing from Peter. Almost like that quiets him for a few minutes. I think that Peter’s problem here is that he’s pledging his loyalty to Jesus but he’s doing that in his own strength and capacity. 

    In John 18, Jesus is arrested, and we see Peter quickly there to intervene. He takes out his sword and cuts a man named Malchus. Jesus rebukes Peter for this. But after Jesus is arrested, he’s spotted and a girl questions him as being one of Jesus’ disciples. And three times, he denies being with Jesus. 

    But in John 13, those events were still a few hours away and it’s just Jesus and his 11 disciples. 

    It’s ironic. 

    Jesus has commanded the disciples to love each other as he loved them, knowing that he’s about to lay down his life for them. 

    Peter speaks up about being loyal to Christ to the point of death when he will ultimately deny Christ when under duress. 

    Jesus has called the disciples to love each other as he loves them while exposing the imperfections of their love for Christ.

    It’s a high standard. Because we fail. 

    We don’t love people as Christ loved us because Christ loves us with a perfect love. And we don’t love Jesus as much as he loves us. 

    There’s obviously no way for us to know what was in the heart of Peter when he stood up and made this pledge. But I believe that Peter really believed what he was saying there. In that moment, he was sincere. 

    But it was also a moment or pride.

    We have a savior who knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows who we truly are. He knows our sins. He knows the darkness of our own hearts and lives. He knows our pride. But he loves us anyway. 

    And so instead of beating our chest, and talking about how great we are at loving each other, how great we are at loving Christ, we should look to Christ’s example and learn from him. 

    And we should know that we were not made to have this love in our own strength. 

    In Galatians 5, Paul talks about the fruit of the Spirit. It’s the work that the Holy Spirit produces in the life of a genuine believer. 

    The first of those fruits: love. 

    We don’t love him perfectly, but he loves us perfectly. The good news of the gospel is that we are not saved by the intensity of our love for Christ, but based on the loving savior who loves and forgives us. 

    Christ’s grace is stronger than our love. But we are called to love the savior who gives us life and who forgives us of our sins. 

    Loving one another as Christ loved us. 

    Like Peter at the Last Supper standing up and proclaiming that he would die for Jesus.

    With love, it can be very easy to talk about love, but actually showing love, being loving, loving people who are hard to love, can be very difficult. 

    And while there is grace when we struggle, let us never have a nonchalant attitude about love. Love is not a Spiritual gift. It’s a Christian command. And more than anything else, it’s what shows the world that we love the Lord. 

    Thanks for reading! If you liked this post, please share and subscribe. 

  • Jesus predicts his betrayal. John 13:18-30

    Jesus predicts his betrayal. John 13:18-30

    In Saratoga National Park in Eastern New York, there’s the Boot Monument, which was erected in 1887 to honor one of the great generals of the early part of the Revolutionary War. 

    An inscription on the monument reads: 

    “In memory of the “most brilliant soldier” of the Continental Army who was desperately wounded on this spot the sally port of BURGOYNES GREAT WESTERN REDOUBT

    7th October, 1777, winning for his countrymen the decisive battle of the American Revolution and for himself the rank of Major General.”

    The general had also helped lead a victory in the battle of Ticonderoga in 1775 and had put together one of the first naval fleets in America’s young history. 

    His name? 

    Benedict Arnold. 

    And before he became infamous for his betrayal of the American cause in attempting to surrender West Point to the British, he had been one of our greatest generals. 

    I tell that story for this reason. 

    Sometimes it can be hard to separate a person from the moment that made them infamous. 

    John 13:18-30 covers the last supper and Jesus will foretell the betrayal of Judas, and three words sum up the scenes of this passage: anticipation, speculation, and revelation. 

    Anticipation 

    Verse 18: 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.’

    All four gospels mention Jesus foretelling his betrayal. 

    When Jesus says that he knows whom he has chosen, it is that he knows who has been chosen to be among his true disciples. And then he goes into explaining why his betrayal is fulfillment of prophecy. 

    Jesus is quoting from Psalm 41. The background of that Psalm is pretty interesting to consider because Psalm 41 is a Psalm about David being betrayed by his own son, Absalom who teams up with David’s closest advisor, Ahitophel to conspire against David. 

    Talking of close relationships, David says in Psalm 41:9:Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me. 

    David is talking of the close connection of a person with whom he had enjoyed table fellowship and eating bread. Communing with someone and that was the person who betrayed David. 

    Jesus quotes that verse because he’s saying the same betrayal of one who is in close fellowship will befall Jesus. 

    Jesus knows what it’s like to be betrayed by one close to him. 

    Betrayal by one close

    Borrowing a second idea from Richard Phillips. When someone close to us betrays us, betrays our trust, it is absolutely devastating. The betrayal of trust of a parent to their children can leave emotional wounds from which a person never fully recovers. 

    There’s the bitter pain that a spouse endures when the one who has vowed to be faithful and to forsake all others cheats in the relationship. There are siblings who have exploited the close family ties for their own gain. There are betrayals in close friendships. 

    I’ve seen family members who have had business partners cheat them. I’m sure that many of us here today have had a point in our lives where someone close to us really hurt us, or abused our love, friendship, or trust. Used our goodwill against us. That’s a difficult thing to endure. It hurts. 

    And this doesn’t erase the pain, but it’s important to remember that we have a savior who entered into that. In being man, in being human, he too had relationships with people. And he too was betrayed by one close to him. 

    There’s no excusing betrayal. I’m not trying to mitigate the sins one person commits against another. 

    But in the times when there’s a temptation to hold onto bitterness, or contempt, or hatred, to also remember that we have a savior who was gracious in the face of his great betrayal. 

    Verse 19. Jesus is continuing to speak. I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he. 

    So Jesus talks of his betrayal, and the reason why he foretells his betrayal is to inform the group. That when he is betrayed, his role as the Christ is in no way diminished. The divine plan is in no
    way thwarted.

    History has given us many people who would have been otherwise inconsequential without infamous atrocities. 

    World War I was triggered by the killing of the archduke of the Austro-Hungarian Empire Franz Ferdinand by a Serbian nationalist named Gavrillo Princip. 

    That one man changed the course of history. 

    The September 11th terrorist attacks were carried out by 19 hijackers. 19 men changed the course of history in a day that we’re still living in the shadow of. 

    Judas did not turn the ministry of the Lord Jesus upside down. He didn’t stop Jesus, he didn’t interrupt the divine plan. 

    In quoting Psalm 41:9, Jesus talks of this betrayal as fulfillment of prophecy and he informs his disciples of his betrayal before it happened so that their faith would not be shattered after the crucifixion. 

    Jesus is the prophet who points to the fulfillment of prophecy and he’s the savior who’s betrayal had been foretold in the prophets. Jesus says that he’s telling them what will happen so when it does happen, you may believe that I am he.

    We once again see Jesus using the phrase “I am,” the Greek form “ego eimi” which is pointing here to his divinity in using the divine name from Exodus 3. Something he’s done throughout this gospel. 

    Verse 20: Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.” 

    In some ways, this verse is a precursor to what will come next.  But for now, Jesus is preparing the disciples for when he’s gone. 

    Jesus is going to be betrayed. His time with the disciples is limited. Even after Jesus is raised from the dead, that time with them is also going to be short. And so he’s telling the disciples that when he’s gone, receiving the disciples will be tantamount to receiving Jesus because receiving Jesus is tantamount to receiving the God who sent him. 

    We can’t deduce it from this verse alone, but at this last supper, as Jesus will continue speaking to his disciples, he will tell of the work that they will have to do in doing Christ’s work in the world when he’s gone. 

    So that’s our first scene. Jesus has talked of his betrayer. And he’s alluded to it before in this gospel. But now he’s talking about it on the night when he is going to be betrayed. 

    And so the first scene is the anticipation for the betrayal. 

    It’s quite likely that the disciples don’t necessarily realize how imminent this betrayal is. 

    And that leads us into our second scene. 

    Speculation

    Verse 21: After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 

    Jesus now explicitly tells the disciples that he is going to be betrayed. 

    But again, we don’t see any indication that the disciples know how imminent this betrayal is. It’ll be later that same evening. 

    It’s also not certain if they grasp the weight of what Jesus is saying. It’s not that one will slip up and somehow betray Jesus. It’s not that one of them will inadvertently betray Jesus. 

    But that Jesus will be deliberately betrayed. 

    Verse 22: The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke.

    I think verse 22 is important because I think when we imagine this scene, it’s tough to not imagine this like a movie. 

    And in the movie, it’s the last supper. They’re at the table. Jesus says “One of you will betray me” and it’s almost like we expect the camera to shift over to Judas. 

    Dun. Dun. Dun. And the actor even looks a little bit evil.

    He has an evil looking mustache and he’s off to the side cackling to himself about his evil plan. 

    Nothing like that. 

    That’s not what the reality is. And the disciples have no idea. They’re looking around, uncertain, trying to figure out who Jesus is speaking of. In Matthew’s Gospel, when Jesus foretells his betrayal, Matthew says:

     22 And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord? (Matthew 26:22).

    They wonder if they themselves might unwittingly be the betrayer. 

    At the beginning, I talked about Benedict Arnold and the reason for that is it’s illustrative of a point. With Arnold, it’s very easy to forget Benedict Arnold, the successful major general and to only remember Benedict Arnold, the man who betrayed America. 

    With Judas, it’s easy to forget Judas the disciple and only remember Judas the man who betrayed Jesus. 

    My point isn’t to build up the character of Judas. My point is that it’s not like he’s walking around during the ministry of Jesus and the other disciples see this dark cloud hovering over Judas. 

    He’s one of the guys. In Matthew 10, Jesus sends out the 12, including Judas. 

    Matthew 10:1: he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. 

    Judas was in that group. He was gifted. John 12:6 mentions that it was Judas who had been in charge of the money bag.  Yes, the passage also mentions that Judas was stealing from that money, but the other disciples didn’t know that at the time. Having charge over the money shows a certain level of trust. You usually don’t pick the person you trust least to be your treasurer. 

    Judas was one of the group. 

    And there’s another piece of information in the passage which shows us why Judas would have been just about the last person people would have guessed. 

    Verses 23-25:One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus’ side, 24 so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. 25 So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 

    A few things to note about those versesFirst. Unless you’ve ever studied the background of the last supper, you’re probably picturing it wrong. 

    History – Triclinium 

    I think the temptation is to imagine that like how a seating arrangement might look today. Jesus and the disciples sitting at one long table or at a big round table. 

    We see images  like Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous painting called “The Last Supper” where Jesus is at a long table with the disciples sitting all around him. That is almost certainly not what the arrangement was. The Roman custom was to sit in an arrangement known as a Triclinium. And that fact is not a useless piece of trivia, but is actually relevant in this passage.  

    In a triclinium, you have multiple tables which are low to the ground and arranged in a U shape. And there was a hierarchical structure to the seating arrangement. The central table is where the three most prominent people sat, with the most prominent person seated at the middle spot. 

    We have something somewhat like this where we have a head seat at our tables. And it is not uncommon for an invited guest to be invited to sit at the side of the table. 

    Back to first century Roman seating arrangements. 

    Instead of sitting on a nice wooden dining room chair, you’re sitting on the ground or a pillow and you’re leaning on the table. The gospels translate is as “reclining.” I always think of reclining as leaning back. It’s more of a relaxed lean on your side. 

    The standard was, you would sit at the table on your left side and eat with your right hand. 

    All of this is relevant to understanding the scene. 

    Because verse 23 gives an indication about where John is sitting. 

    One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus’ side,

    Brief side note. John never refers to himself by name in his own gospel. He always refers to himself as someone whom Jesus loved. He’s not saying that out of pride or boasting. Actually, it’s the opposite. He’s not saying, “I, John, am so important in the ministry of Jesus.” He’s almost losing himself in the story. He’s saying that the main thing that should identify me is as someone whom Jesus loved. 

    And that should be true for all of us. 

    That should be the central, most important aspect of our lives. That we are known by the Lord Jesus Christ. 

    Not who we are, not who our family is, not where we went to school, not how much money we have. But that we are loved by Jesus. 

    And that should be the part of our lives that is most clear to the world. Are relationships to Christ. 

    So John isn’t trying to boast, but he is mentioning where he’s seated. 

    The ESV says that John was reclining at the table at Jesus’ side. 

    And the word to focus on is “side.” If you’re imagining the scene that they’re sitting at a standard dining room table, it’s easy to think that that’s just saying John is sitting next to Jesus. 

    But that’s not how it worked. Jesus is leaning into the table and John is lying down next to Jesus, also leaning into the table. The word that is translated as “side” in the ESV, in the Greek, more literally means that the disciple is sitting at Jesus bosom or breast. So Jesus is leaning on his left side, John is to his breast which places John to the right of Jesus. 

    Hold that thought as we continue in the passage. 

    Verse 24: so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking.

    Peter is not sitting at the main table. So clearly everyone must be wondering who Jesus is talking about when he says that one of them will betray him. Peter is always the one who speaks up in the gospels. 

    But verse 24 doesn’t say that Peter asks Jesus who he was speaking of. 

    Verse 24 tells us Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. 

    In other words, Peter motions to John – who’s sitting next to Jesus – to ask Jesus. 

    John obliges Peter in verse 25: So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?”

    Again, notice the closeness of their proximity. 

    Leaning back against Jesus. In our world, that would be an absolutely awkward seating arrangement. But that was the custom in the first century Greco-Roman world. 

    John is literally next to Jesus and he asks 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. 

    Once again, it’s not a movie. When Jesus does this, there’s no soundtrack that suddenly switches to ominous music. To anyone looking, it appears that he’s just given Judas a piece of bread. 

    And I think this can be easy to miss when we read the story. But there’s no indication that the other disciples know the significance of Jesus giving the bread to Judas. 

    When we read the story, I think we imagine that everyone heard what Jesus just said. But they didn’t. John hears what Jesus said. Because John is right next to Jesus. But not everyone else is. 

    Except for John and…

    Judas. 

    At least, that’s the view of most scholars. That Judas is the other person at the table of honor. And I think that view is what makes the most sense of the story. And I think that’s further reason as to why Judas would have been the last person the disciples would have expected. 

    He was gifted, in charge of the money, and seated at the table of honor. But Jesus shows Judas he knows who he really is. 

    He knows who all of us really are. 

    Judas might have fooled the other disciples. You might fool people in a church, you might fool people in your own family. There’s no fooling the Lord. The antidote to that is faith. Believing in the Lord. Loving the Lord. Walking with the Lord. 

    Wolves in sheeps clothing 

    Just because someone is in the Christian community does not mean that they’re in the family of God. Just because someone is in a church, or a small group, or knows the Bible does not mean that they know the Lord. 

    In Matthew 7, Jesus warns the disciples. 

    “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. (Matthew 7:15)

    There have always, and will always be those who prey upon the church for their own gain. 

    Again in Matthew 7, Jesus warns the disciples when he says: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’  (Matthew 7:21-23)

    There are those who infiltrate God’s church, not out to worship, not because they’re curious about God, but because they’re at war with God. 

    Never be shocked when people fall from grace. There are very few people you truly know. 

    I’m not saying to be cynical and untrusting of the world.But we do live in a fallen world. 

    I think of high profile ministry leaders who fall from grace. I’m not the one who is the judge of people’s hearts and what they truly believe. But for some of them, I can’t help but wonder if they know the Lord at all. 

    Because it can be easy to talk the talk, and a person can be very talented and gifted, all the while using those tremendous talents to undermine the church. 

    Revelation 

    Third scene. We see Judas set himself against Christ. 

    Verse 27: Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”

    Judas attacks Jesus and it is demonic, but Judas is still responsible for his own sin and rebellion against the Lord. 

    Verse 27 is the only time the word “Satan” appears in John’s Gospel. In the other gospels, you see people demon possessed, and Jesus performing exorcisms. 

    John never mentions that. Craig Keener points out that John’s Gospel instead likes to focus on the devil’s role in Christ’s betrayal. The bread that Jesus gives to Judas is meant to be a symbol of hospitality and fellowship as they celebrate the Passover. 

    But Judas is set to betray Jesus. 

    The other disciples are apparently still oblivious to this, and we see that in verse 28.  Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him.

    They don’t know what’s going on. But the Apostle John knows. Because John is sitting right there. He’s given a front row seat to the betrayal of Jesus. When Jesus tells Judas in verse 27 to do what he must do quickly, Jesus is showing that he’s still in control, he knows what Judas is up to. 

    Verse 29 shows us that the disciples didn’t know what that meant. 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. 

    They think that Jesus has told Judas to move quickly in order to run an errand.

    And that misunderstanding among the disciples is the reason why they’re still aloof when Judas leaves the dinner. 

    Judas is leaving to betray Jesus. But the other disciples don’t suspect a thing. The passage ends on a simple, but ominous note. Judas leaves in a hurry. 

    So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night. 

    It was night.

    Throughout the Gospel of John, light and darkness are important symbols. Jesus is the light. He’s the light of the world. The light is contrasted with darkness. Significantly, at the end of the last chapter, Jesus said the light was leaving. 

    And here, there’s no mention of light. Only darkness. 

    Yes, it’s evening when Jeus leaves, but the greater mood that John is setting is that it was night in the sense that it was the darkness of humanity and the human soul that was conspiring to forever darken the light of the world. There was now no stopping Judas from betraying Jesus. 

    Conclusion 

    I keep mentioning that Judas served with the disciples, that he was gifted. I do that not to minimize his betrayal of Jesus. But I do that because it can be so easy to look at Judas like he’s almost some inhuman species.

    Like he’s on such another stratosphere of evil that we can’t possibly relate to him. But when we do this, and act like Judas is so different from us, we make his part of the passion story something that we can’t learn from.


    There’s an idea I appreciate from the psychologist Jordan Petereson. And it’s this idea of man as a controlled beast. That we are capable of tremendous evil. 

    We look at bad people and think that they’re so much worse than us, but we’re just as capable. We look at Nazi Germany and think that they were so much worse than us, that we could never do those things. It’s easy to think we’re better than others and that the evils of others are just so inherently worse than anything we could do. That gets us off the hook. 

    We can play the comparison game. But what is it that makes you incapable of doing horrible things to others? Just because we behave doesn’t mean we’re incapable of tremendous evil. 

    Peterson argues, and I think that he’s right, that we cannot begin to understand our capacity for good without understanding our capacity for evil. It’s easy to think we’re good, that we’re capable of doing good things. 

    But what about evil? Are we just so good that we can’t do horrible things to others? Of course we can! 

    We’re fallen people in a sinful world. We’re sinful and rebellious. Everything we willfully sin, it is an affront to the almighty God of the universe. Everytime we sin, we’re exercising our own pride in saying we know better than he does. 

    We find ways to ignore the Lord. We turn from his light and follow darkness. We turn to other things besides God for our sources of fulfillment and joy. We can be bitter towards others, self-righteous, controlling, manipulative. We sin against the God of the universe. I said a moment ago that we cannot understand our capacity for good without understanding our capacity for evil. 

    And it is also true that we cannot understand the greatness of God’s grace without understanding the depths of our sinfulness. That we are great sinners, but Christ is an even greater savior. That we are in darkness, but Jesus is the light. That we are dead in sin, but Jesus invites us to eternal life. 

    And that apart from Christ, we’re just as lost as Judas. And just like with Judas, Jesus invites us to his table. Judas walked away from it, into the darkness. 

    But we have an opportunity to respond to the light. To believe in Jesus. To embrace his grace. To know the forgiveness that he offers and to live lives not for the world but for the Lord.

    Thanks for reading! If you liked this post, please share and subscribe. 

  • Jesus washes the disciples’ feet. JOhn 13:1-17

    Jesus washes the disciples’ feet. JOhn 13:1-17

    It’s hard to ignore a major event. The night before you get married is not just like any other night. You know it’s the eve of the biggest day of your life. The night before surgery is not like any other night. You might have a big meal, but if it’s a big surgery, you know what’s coming the next day. 

    For Jesus, in John chapter 13, it’s the night before the day when he would go to the cross. 

    And what’s the first thing that John records? 

    Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. That’s what Jesus does before he dies.

    The lead up to the cross

    John 13 begins the second major section of John’s Gospel. John’s Gospel is essentially two main sections. “The Book of Signs,” which covers the public ministry of Jesus. That ended last week with the conclusion of chapter 12. “The Book of Glory” is the lead up to the cross, Jesus’ arrest, trial, death, and resurrection. 

    So the beginning of chapter 13, I take this as the prologue to the second act of John’s Gospel. And this prologue points to Chrit’s death and to the love that he has for his disciples. 

    John 13:1 says: Now before the feast of Passover.  

    The timeline of events between John and the other gospels is a subject which is hotly debated by scholars. Some take this event in chapter 13 as being a different day than the Last Supper. 

    I take these events as all revolving around the Last Supper and that this foot washing occurs during the last supper, on the night that Jesus was to be arrested. This is the third time in John’s Gospel that Jesus has observed the Passover holiday. 

    Just as a reminder, Passover is the annual Jewish holy day which celebrate God redeeming the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. After God had brought a series of plagues upon the Egyptians, he did one final judgment in striking down the firstborn of all of the Egyptians. For the Israelites, God had given the instruction to sacrifice a lamb and put the blood on the door of their household. Those who did this act of faith were passed over. 

    There were also instructions for a celebratory meal which was done annually. That’s the meal in which Jesus and the disciples are about to partake. 

    The next thing to observe in this opening. John mentions that Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father. 

    Nothing that happens in the events is outside the knowledge of Christ or the sovereign will of the Lord. 

    Throughout this gospel, John constantly talks about Jesus’ hour. Referring to the hour of glory when Christ would go to the cross. And here, the hour has come. 

    Jesus is in control, he knows what’s about to happen. 

    But his hour had come to give his life. As the first Passover required sacrifices for the Israelites, it ultimately pointed forward to the true Passover when the ultimate sacrifice would be made for the redemption and forgiveness of the world. 

    having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 

    The first 12 chapters are much more focused on Jesus ministering to the world, performing signs, teaching of who he is. That is the message going to the world. That Jesus is the divine Son of God who reveals the light and glory of God to the world and who brings the promise of eternal life. 

    But over the next five chapters, it’s just Jesus and his disciples. That is where his attention is. 

    John mentions the love that Jesus has for his disciples. In the chapters 2-12, the word love is used 12 times in John’s Gospel. In the next 5 chapters, it’s used 37 times. 

    Verse 2: During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him,

    Judas has not yet betrayed Jesus. The wheels are in motion for that to happen. The plot against Jesus was demonic. This verse also showing a contrast. 

    The first verse is about the great savior. The second verse is about the great betrayer. But even Judas is being used within the divine plan. Later on in this chapter, Jesus will predict his betrayal. 

    Verse 3: 
     Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God

    Similar to the first verse, this verse points to the divine initiative as closes out the introduction to this event and the second half of John’s Gospel. 

    In order for Christ to be glorified and return to the father, he must first go to the cross. 

    So that’s the prologue to this passage. What we’re going to do with our time this morning is look at three scenes.  

    Foot washing points us to the cross

    Verses 4-5:

    4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 

    Again, the story of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples is well known to our culture. Even if you know very little about the Bible, it’s an event you’ve probably heard of. 

    Washing feet was a common custom in the ancient Greco-Roman world. If people were traveling to meet someone, roads were dusty and dirty. People were usually barefoot or in some sort of primitive sandal. 

    Your feet would get dirty. But foot washing was either done by a slave, or a child, or by the person themself. I think we really struggle to appreciate the weight of this event. Footwashing was always, always, always done by someone who was beneath someone else in society. 

    There’s no recorded evidence in Greco-Roman literature of a superior ever washing the feet of his subordinates, except for Jesus. It was absolutely radical. 

    To the disciples, it would have been absolutely shocking to see that. 

    Illustration – meeting the queen 

    If you were to meet the King of England, there are all sorts of protocols in place. Everyone is supposed to walk behind King Charles.

    You’re never supposed to leave a room that he’s in. He leaves the room first. If you’re dining with the king, he takes the first bite. You never turn your back on the king. 

    There are protocols for how to dress. You wouldn’t wear a bathing suit. Protocols of address. You don’t call him Chuck. He’s addressed in a magisterial title. 

    You don’t run up and give her a big hug. On and on and on. All of these formal expectations for what you’re supposed to do in her presence. 

    Imagine at a formal gathering the king were to take out a bucket and sponge and just start washing people’s feet. 

    That. would. Be. shocking. 

    But I would argue still not as shocking as in Jesus’ day. Because foot washing isn’t a cultural custom for us. You don’t go to someone’s house and expect them to just have a footbath prepared for you. 

    But in Jesus’ day, it was a custom reserved for the absolute most lowly and looked down upon in society. Jesus is taking the most menial and lowly task that a person could possibly take. 

    He’s taking on the role of a slave. 

    This would have been viewed as something that was absolutely beneath Jesus. 

    Humility was a virtue to ancient religious teachers, but not like this. Not in a way that totally went against social custom. 

    And so Peter’s reaction is actually pretty understandable in verse 6:
    He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?”

    Jesus is the greatest figure to have ever lived. And the disciples traveled with him, knew him, heard his teaching, saw his signs. 

    And Peter asks how Jesus could possibly lower himself to wash his feet. 

    Verse 7: Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.”

    Now that is an interesting thing to say. 

    You do not understand…

    What is there to understand about washing someone’s feet? 

    But afterward you will understand. 

    From the beginning of this passage, it’s established that the hour for Christ’s death has come. 

    This story isn’t primarily about feet, it’s primarily about the cross. Afterward, Peter will understand. 

    That in looking back after Jesus has gone to the cross, died, and rose, that looking back to the foo washing will have it’s truer and ultimate meaning. 

    Later on, looking back on this event, Peter will understand the significance of what Jesus did on that night. He will understand the supreme humility of Christ. He will understand that Jesus came not to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28). 

    He will understand that before Jesus displayed the most scandalous and outrageous show of love by giving his life for the world, he did the most outrageous display of humility in serving his disciples by washing their feet. 

    And looking back, it will be understood that the washing of the feet on the night before he went to the cross was a symbol of cleansing the whole person with the gospel. 

    But on that night, as Jesus washed the feet of the disciples, Peter doesn’t yet understand, as will become clear from his response. 

    Foot washing points us to the Spirit 

    Verse 8: Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.”

    Like I keep saying, the washing is not just about feet. It’s about the cross. It’s about salvation. It’s about forgiveness for our sins. And it is that washing to which Jesus says “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.”

    In John 13, Jesus talks of the necessity of washing feet, and he’s pointing to the cross and a symbolic Spiritual cleansing. 

    And the message that Jesus tells to Peter is true for every person in the world. 

     “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.”

    It’s a washing from sin. That’s what makes sense of the passage. It’s not about feet, it’s about the cross. Jesus hasn’t literally washed any of our feet. Does that mean that we can’t be saved? No, of course not. 

    But he washes us in his blood, through his spirit, and in his grace by going to the cross.

    And that is the washing that if we do not have, we have no share with Christ, we have no inheritance with Christ, and we have no forgiveness with Christ. 

    So Jesus tells Peter that Peter must be washed. Peter still thinks they’re talking about literal washing with water. 

    Verse 9: Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” 

    Classic exuberance that we see from Peter. When he here’s that, he wants to have his whole body washed. But that’s not what’s necessary here. Because it’s the washing of the feet which is the symbol for the cleansing of the soul. 

    Verse 10, Jesus will explain why Peter’s request is unnecessary. 

    Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.”

    Again, Peter is only focused on the physical aspect of foot washing. Jesus is talking of the spiritual reality of being washed in his grace. 

    Peter has already been washed by Chirst, set apart by Christ, forgiven by Christ. And so when Peter wants his hands and his head washed, it’s unnecessary because he is already clean. 

    He will be no more forgiven by having all the water dumped on him. Grace is not partial. We’re not partially washed by Christ. Jesus fully saves us. He fully forgives us. 

    Notice at the end of verse 10, Jesus says to Peter “you are clean, but not every one of you.” 

    Referring to Judas. 


    Verse 11 says: For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.” 

    Tim Keller brings up this point, but Judas is a disciple who served Jesus. He’s with Jesus here. He has his feet washed by Jesus. Judas was part of the greatest small group that ever existed, the greatest Bible study group that ever existed. 

    He had the greatest pastor, spiritual leader anyone ever had. 

    And yet Judas is in the room, and he has his feet washed. And he’s about to betray the Lord. 

    It is having your soul washed by Jesus, your soul cleansed by Jesus that is what brings the promise of eternal life. 

    Only that. 

    Acts 4:12 says: there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” 

    We come to the third major section of this passage. Foot washing shows us humility. 

    Foot washing points us to humility 

    Verse 12:

    When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 

    Jesus answers his own question. 

    Verses 13-15:
    You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, 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 also should do just as I have done to you.

    What Jesus is saying here is that “You do have reverence for me. As you should. And with me lowering myself and humbling myself in this way, as the teacher, I am calling on you to do likewise. 

    He calls the disciples to wash one another’s feet. 

    Excursus – should we wash feet? 

    That begs a question. Should we wash each other’s feet? It is sometimes done. I’ve heard of it done at weddings. 

    Pope Francis has before washed the feet of prisoners. Some churches even take this as a command, almost treating footwashing like a sacrament similar to baptism or communion. 

    I don’t think we should take it that way for a couple of reasons. 

    First, the Bible never gives foot washing as a universal command. It’s mentioned one other place in the New Testament in 1 Timothy 5:10, in a context where it’s talking of footwashing as an example of hospitality. 

    But we don’t see it as a command. 

    Secondly, we don’t see it viewed as a sacrament in the early church or in early Christian writings, which means that people who were closer in time to the disciples themselves did not take it that way. 

    principle of humility 

    Instead, the principle is what matters. Jesus has debased himself, and in the act of washing the feet of his disciples. In some ways, if all we were called to do was wash the feet of others, for us, that would almost be the easy part. 

    What’s not so easy – for many people – is the principle that leads one to washing the feet of another, and that is showing true humility before someone else.

    So much of our world is about appearances. Jesus took on the most menial and inglorious task in his world. We can really be obsessed about appearances. 

    There have been studies done that show that people are more likely to wash their hands if there’s someone nearby. In other words, some people don’t care about washing their hands as much as they care about others thinking they care about washing their hands. 

    The photos people share online of them and their family. So often posed, everyone looking nice, picture perfect. We want to be seen as respectable, competent, good, and from a good family. 

    Don’t misunderstand. None of that is inherently bad. 

    But what can be a problem is when we become obsessed with how we look, how are family looks, how we’re perceived and thought of. And we do live in a very vain and visual world. 

    And that attitude can fly in the face of humility. 

    I think of the scene with Jesus and his disciples. 

    Quoting from Matthew 18:1-4:
    At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 

    Serving the Lord is serving something bigger than yourself, serving things of eternal importance and significance. 

    And that’s what Jesus calls us to. To serve and to be humble. That’s what Jesus is saying at the end of the passage when he says: 
    16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

    Jesus sets the example. He wasn’t above humble service, and neither are we. We are called to follow Jesus and that includes following his example of humility. 

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  • Poverty, paganism, and the gospel – Galatians 4:1-11

    The gospel is meant for both Jews and gentiles. Both need the grace of Jesus and are invited to receive the forgiveness that he offers. In this passage, Paul will warn Christian converts from these two distinct backgrounds from falling back into their old religious systems.

    Sermon manuscript

  • Sermon: New life – Galatians 3:26-29

    At the moment we come to faith, there are dramatic changes that take place in the life of a Christian. These changes include a new title before God, a new way to live, a new way of relating to the world, and a new inheritance.

    Sermon manuscript