Last week we started in a new direction as we began talking about being closely connected to Jesus. We said that in order to be more like Jesus, we need to exhibit a life of humble service. Today, we will talk about living a life of loyalty.
When a couple is going to have a new baby, it is their right and privilege to give that baby whatever name they decide. There are some very different names out there. But one thing is for sure, I have never met anyone named Judas. When Caran and I were choosing names for our three boys, the name Judas never crossed our mind. It never made it to the list.
Even today when the baby naming creativity has gone wild, we just don't meet any baby Judases. That's because Judas was the most famous betrayer in history. He didn't betray just anybody, Judas betrayed God Himself and he pushed Jesus, the one who came to save us, closer to the resurrection.
Judas may be an uncommon name, but betrayal is a common behavior. We talked about betrayal a few weeks ago in detail. We encounter it in nearly every area of life. Sometimes we even see it in ourselves. We might even see betrayal in the people of God.
In John 13 we are going to meet up with Judas, but we will also meet up with Jesus. We will see Jesus's glory on display, even on a heartbreaking occasion such as this. We are going to have the opportunity to rekindle our own loyalty to Jesus as we try to live a life that is connected to Him.
PRAYER
John 13 begins with an account of Jesus's last meeting with his 12 apostles before His crucifixion, and it included awkward and even painful moments. We probably have all been in meetings that involved uncomfortable conversations. But this discussion between Jesus and the men he had chosen to change the world suddenly went from feet washing and servant leadership to accusations of betrayal. You might remember from last week in verse 10 where Jesus openly stated that not everyone in the group was clean. He was referring to what is now going to happen.
John 13:21-27 – “21 When Jesus had said this, he was troubled in his spirit and testified, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”
22 The disciples started looking at one another—uncertain which one he was speaking about.
****23 One of his disciples, the one Jesus loved, was reclining close beside Jesus. 24 Simon Peter motioned to him to find out who it was he was talking about. 25 So he leaned back against Jesus and asked him, “Lord, who is it?”
****26 Jesus replied, “He’s the one I give the piece of bread to after I have dipped it.” When he had dipped the bread, he gave it to Judas, Simon Iscariot’s son. 27 After Judas ate the piece of bread, Satan entered him. So Jesus told him, “What you’re doing, do quickly.”
Jesus spoke clearly when he said, “one of you will betray me.” Can you imagine your boss saying that in a meeting? The reaction of the disciples was much like what you would expect, regardless of the context. They wanted to know who it could possibly be. Who's the betrayer? How does Jesus know there's a betrayer? What will the betrayer do? Am I the betrayer? Clearly, the disciples were confused. In fact, Peter signals to John, who was sitting next to Jesus, to find out who Jesus was talking about. Someone in that very room was disloyal.
John asked Jesus who the traitor was, and in response, Jesus dipped a piece of bread into the bowl they shared at the table and handed the bread to Judas. After Judas ate the piece of bread, Satan entered him, and Jesus dismissed Judas to carry out his plan of betrayal.
Now here is a mind opener for you. It's important to recognize that we don't have to be named Judas to be disloyal to Jesus. We only have to be sinners, and we are. This passage should cause our hearts to break for Judas, but it should also cause us to look for the disloyalty in our own lives. Since Jesus is who He says He is, and since He has done what the word says He has done, He is worthy of 100% of our hearts. He is worthy of our complete devotion. Does Jesus have 100% of your loyalty and devotion?
Jesus was both fully God and fully man. We'll see evidence of His divinity in the next few verses, but here we see evidence of His humanity. We are told in verse 21 that Jesus was troubled in His spirit.
John 13:21 – “21 When Jesus had said this, he was troubled in his spirit. . . .”
This was his humanity showing through. Jesus knew Judas’s betrayal would set in motion His walk toward Calvary—the steps toward the whip, the thorns, the cross, and the grave.
But Jesus wasn't troubled only for Himself. He was troubled for Judas as well.
We need to realize how beautiful it is that Jesus, betrayed by His own disciple, still went to the cross. He died for the disloyal. That's you and me. God is asking us today to look into our hearts and look for any betrayal that might be hiding there as we remember the ultimate loyalty of Jesus on our behalf. Ask God to show you any areas in your life where you are disloyal to Him. Ask Him to help you see it and turn from it.
I like what Priscilla Shirer wrote. She said, “Give your hands to him for his work, your feet to walk his path, and your ears to hear him speak.” That’s loyalty.
Now let's jump down to verse 31.
John 13:31 – “When he had left, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in him.”
Our lists might vary, but when we think about great turning points in history, we probably think about events like D-day, the fall of the Berlin wall, and 9/11. Such events as these turn history, right? We must certainly add to this list of events what Jesus said in verse 31. Read again. It is as though Jesus was saying, “It's time.”
Judas had left and his betrayal was now in motion. Things were definitely moving toward the events that would end at the cross of Calvary. The world was getting closer to redemption, and although the coming hours would seem like the darkest that the disciples had ever known, God would be glorified through it all.
Last week I mentioned the apostle John began this gospel with the truth, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” God is the Great "why?" behind everything that exists. God was all that existed. His power led to all that exists. God created all things for the sake of His glory being known and on display. Unfortunately, humans came along and sin was introduced into God's perfect creation. Humanity sinned in the beginning and keeps right on sending today.
Despite all of this though, God is still glorious, and as we see in the word “now” of John 13:31, no amount of sinful disruption or human failing can hide God's glory. God the Father sent his son to fix every broken thing in this sinful, fallen world so that both Father and Son could be glorified. That is what Jesus is about to say in the next two verses but before we get to that let me explain this with a little story.
A man's wife brought him a broken necklace that she couldn't fix. It was her favorite necklace and a link had broken, meaning that it was unwearable. It wasn't exactly a life or death problem. But he was able to fix it. Within a couple of minutes and with a pair of tweezers, he repaired the necklace and immediately basked in wifely praise as she said, “You're so amazing! I knew you could fix it. Thank you so much!”
It was just a broken necklace. But he said still I was praised. I was glorified for only about 20 seconds because I fixed a broken chain. God looked at a broken world and said, “I've got this.” Of course, everything can be fixed by God.
In John 13, Jesus knew his death was near. So, he tried to prepare His disciples for what was to come. This was a teaching moment for the disciples, but let's not miss one significant truth. Jesus is the only one powerful enough and glorious enough to do what needed to be done, and He would do it. Luke said it this way in:
Acts 4:12 – “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.”
And now Jesus explains:
John 13:32-33 – “If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. 33 Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so now I tell you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’”
Jesus knew he was rapidly getting closer to his death and resurrection that would lead to the restoration of all things. Jesus knew that between John 13 and John 20, when He would rise from the dead, He would experience a tremendous amount of pain, grief, and sin . But Jesus would still do it because He knew what was coming. He said God will also glorify Him in Himself and will glorify Him at once.
Jesus did what he did out of love for us and for God's greater glory. We should make God's glory the "why" behind all we do in our lives. Think of it this way. The all-powerful, all knowing God who created us for His glory sent His Son to fix, save, and restore us to what He created us to be. Now the question is do you consider yourself to be all that God created you to be? When we follow Christ and live for His glory, we find the greatest fulfillment, purpose, and pleasure. His great Glory is our greatest joy. We bring glory to God when we repent of our sins and follow Christ.
John 13:34-35 – ““I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
This is the only time in John's gospel that Jesus used the word "new ". This surely highlights the significance of Jesus's desire for us to demonstrate love. It's as though He is saying He has a unique new goal for the world. A goal that is, in fact, a call for His followers to be unique in the way they love. To love as Jesus calls us to love points right back to Him. He says in verse 35, by this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
Jesus bought our loyalty in a breathtaking way. God, in human form, was tortured, killed, and raised for us, the very ones He loves. So, as His children and followers now, we are to be a channel of His love. Loving as Christ loves points the world to the One that we follow.
How many times have we heard preached, taught, or sang about in a song, what Jesus commands in verse 34. Once again, He commands us to love each other. But this isn't a new idea in Scripture. It goes all the way back to God's teachings in the Old Testament when He commanded people to love. For instance:
-Leviticus 19:18 – “ Do not take revenge or bear a grudge against members of your community, but love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.”
-Deuteronomy 6:5 – “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”
-Micah 6:8 – “Mankind, he has told each of you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.
This command to love others isn't new, but the reason behind it and the depth of love they were to exhibit were new. Jesus is asking us to love each other on account of Christ's love for us. As Christ loves us, a new community is created based on Jesus's work for us, and there is a new relationship within that community.
The difference here is that this time, God's command didn't come through a prophet, this time God had His personal self in the game. God commanded us to love through the vocal cords of His own human body. God, having left heaven to stand there in this fragile flesh, said, “Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another.”
So, we started off today talking about someone who betrayed Jesus. But this betrayal put in motion our salvation. It is hard for us to love someone who has betrayed us, but still, Jesus did just that. Now, He simply asks us to follow His example. Following that example demonstrates openly our loyalty toward Jesus and living that life of loyalty. Can we do it? Yes, we can. We had the best example we could ever ask for.
It is impossible for someone to be loyal to someone they do not know. And so, I ask, “Do you know Jesus as your personal Savior?” If not, we give you that opportunity to come during our response time and I will show you how easy it is to know Christ as your very own.
