“God's Glory and Love” John 13:21-35
Last week we looked at the foot washing by Jesus of His Disciples’ feet: We saw that not only was Jesus washing their feet but also teaching them a great spiritual lesson. First of all it was more than a S-O-L-E washing. Jesus’ action and words spoke of the S-O-U-L washing that can come only through Him and His sacrificial death for us. The other lesson was that in the same way that Jesus was stooping in humble servitude to His disciples, they also, should serve one another: That was breaking all kinds of cultural molds.
Identifying the Betrayer of Jesus
Today we begin with verse 21: “When Jesus had said these things, He was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me." 22 Then the disciples looked at one another, perplexed about whom He spoke. 23 Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. 24 Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask who it was of whom He spoke. 25 Then, leaning back on Jesus' breast, he said to Him, "Lord, who is it?" 26 Jesus answered, "It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it." And having dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. 27 Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, "What you do, do quickly." 28 But no one at the table knew for what reason He said this to him. 29 For some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus had said to him, "Buy those things we need for the feast," or that he should give something to the poor. 30 Having received the piece of bread, he then went out immediately. And it was night.”
Jesus was troubled in spirit; He was inwardly disturbed right to His very soul or being and it was visible in His face. He would now disclose Judas as the one who would betray Him, who would hand Him over to the authorities. One of the twelve whom Jesus had taught, befriended, and shared the most blessed Gospel would turn Him over to the enemies.
Knowing all things, Jesus knew also that Judas still had the opportunity to repent and ask for forgiveness, but that his own evil decisions and actions would prevent him from receiving the forgiveness and eternal life for which Jesus came.
As Jesus hands out pieces of bread, which would have been viewed as a gesture of friendship, when He comes to Judas, we read in verse 27: “Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, "What you do, do quickly.” Most of the disciples, except maybe John and Peter, still thought that Judas was going to go out and buy some last minute items for the Passover feast at hand since he was the treasurer of the group, but Jesus knew differently. Judas’ heart was in alignment with Satan and Jesus, knowing the hearts of man tells Judas: “What you do, do quickly,” and we read: “He went out immediately. AND IT WAS NIGHT.”
“IT WAS NIGHT” surely described the time of day but the meaning is deeper than that: What Judas will do demonstrates the deep darkness of His deed and the spiritual darkness of his soul. Judas would be swallowed up by the most awful darkness. He would be part of what Scripture speaks about as the OUTER DARKNESS. Judas was making his own place in history, as the betrayer of the Lord Jesus, the Savior, but he was also heading to his own place of destruction and damnation. It would also be the beginning of Jesus’ darkest night, the night of judgment and suffering that would lead to the cross.
The Greatest Glory
31 So, when he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. 32 (If God is glorified in Him), God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately.
You can’t miss the fact that the word, “glorify” (doxazo) is used 5 times in verses 31-32: I want to read those verses again and substitute some of the meanings for this word: “Now the Son of Man, the Lord Jesus, is praised and extolled and God is honored in Him. If God is honored in Him God will also magnify Him in Himself, and give the greatest honor to Him immediately.” (or right now, it is imminent)
In His impending death and exaltation, Jesus would be glorified: God’s splendor is displayed in the perfect obedience of the Son’s Sacrifice, thus fulfilling God’s Perfect plan for making atonement for believing sinners. Jesus in His life and works has perfectly revealed the Father to human beings; he has brought Great Glory and Honor to the Father.
In this darkest hour of History, the time has come for the Son of God to shine with the brightest glory. The Light of the World would shine in the darkness of the Cross and evil would not overcome light. The redemptive purposes of the Almighty Sovereign and saving God would be accomplished by the dreadful evil hands and hearts of dishonor to accomplish Perfect Redemption. The Light has come to save those in darkness.
John 1:5 had promised: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” And Jesus said in John 9:4, “We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.” No one but Jesus can do this work. No one but the Light can work in this darkness.
John Piper comments that Jesus “does it not in spite of the darkness, but with the unwitting, God-appointed help of the darkness. Only Jesus can destroy the darkness by being enveloped by darkness. Only Jesus can abolish death by being swallowed up by death, like Jonah in the fish. Only Jesus can disarm Satan by surrendering to his servants.”
Jesus would be glorified, the Father would be glorified in Him, together God is glorified. There has always been a natural reciprocation of perfect eternal love and glory between the Son and the Father: They are ONE. Jesus has implicitly and explicitly claimed to be God and now God ascends to the cross in the flesh to become the only sacrifice for the ones God intends to save. This is the furthest thing from “cheap grace.” It is the most extravagant and costly grace imaginable and it is offered by the One Holy God for those chosen before the foundation of the world. What Love! What Grace! What Glory!
Again Jesus knows that the hour is near and again shares that with His disciples: Verse 33 “Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, 'Where I am going, you cannot come,' so now I say to you.”
There is a stark contrast here between what our Lord had said earlier to the Jews and what He now says to the disciples. He had said, and says again, “Whither I go ye cannot come.” To the Jews he added, “Ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins” (John 7:34-35). For those who believe in Him, there is no such decree of separation; There is only a temporary restriction until Jesus would go to the cross, to the grave, be resurrected and ascended to His Heavenly home. There we cannot presently go, but in time, those who are Jesus’ disciples will be where Jesus is. (As we will see in John 14) In the meantime, while He prepares a place for us, our hearts are the home of the Holy Spirit. But there is a new and different commandment, by which His spiritual presence would be at once realized and proved. Look at verses 34-35.
A New Commandment
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
To compliment the 5 times in which the word “glorify” is used in the previous verses, the word for love is used 4 times. The Glory of Cross, the Glory of God in Christ and the glory of Christ in the Father certainly displays the unfathomable love of God, but here Jesus is probably connecting His love-in action foot washing and His imminent ultimate sacrifice on the cross with His commandment for His disciples to love one another. The word for love used in the noun and verb is “agapáō” meaning to prefer, to be fond of, to love dearly. For the believer, loving is preferring to "live through Christ" (An example of this is found in 1 John 4:9,10: “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”)
When we understand the extravagance of God’s love we will embrace God's will (choosing His choices) and obeying them through His power. “Agapáō” primarily refers to what God prefers since He "is love" 1 John 4:8 states it this way: “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” And again in 1 John 4:16: “And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.” Remember how John 13 began: “Having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.” He loved them perfectly.
Last week we saw Jesus set the example with the parable of love in action when He washed His disciple’s feet, and so loving one another is certainly from a humble heart but it includes action. It is not merely a passive love. How could the world later be amazed by the love that Christians had for one another if it was a private, personal, feeling which did not include action?
“The early Christians in Rome were renowned because they cared for all their own poor and needy and also for other people’s. While their care for outsiders brought them persecution, their care for their fellow Christians was admired. Dionysius, Bishop of Corinth in the late 2nd century, wrote to thank the Church in Rome for the aid they had sent to his church. “From the beginning it is your custom to bestow your alms in all places, and to furnish subsistence to many churches. You send relief to the needy, especially to those who work in the mines; in which you follow the example of your fathers.”
A few years later, Tertullian noted how the non-Christians would comment with astonishment about the Christians, “See how they love one another.”
In the following century the pagan Emperor Julian (361-363) commented that “these impious Galileans not only feed their own poor, but ours also; welcoming them into their agapae [love feasts], they attract them, as children are attracted, with cakes.” (PatrickSookhdeo.com, Barnabas Aid Fund)
Love in action was demonstrated clearly by the early Church; in Acts 2: 44-45 we hear: And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.”
To Love one another is to offer the sacrifice of self for another’s good; This kind of love would be, in the truest sense, a realization of the presence of the Lord Jesus in the midst of the Church and it would be the most powerful witness to the world of the Love of Jesus.
The Old Testament had formed the basis for Jesus’ New Commandment in Deut. 6:5: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Leviticus 19:18:” 18 You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.” Jesus had summarized these two commandments in Matt. 22:37-40 and Mark 12: “Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."
To love others with Jesus’ standard of ultimate sacrifice and by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit is the marching order for the new messianic community which we call “the Church”. The tense of the verb tells us that our love for one another is ongoing and continual. It is sometimes embarrassing how poorly the people of God comprehend Jesus’ command and moreover, how poorly the church performs in regard to loving each other in the same way that Christ loved us, and died for us.
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." If we obey this commandment, we will bring the glory that is rightfully due to our Great God and Savior, who loved us so much that He died for us. Amen.
