“A New and Radical Kind of Love.”
John 13:18-30
From time to time, we are asked to do self-examination of our spiritual lives and assess how we think we are doing but I’m afraid that we tend to be like the fellow in the story I heard who show-ed up to a court hearing concerning an accident in which he had been involved. His arm was in a cast, there were bandages all over him, and the exposed parts of his body were clearly bruised, scratched and cut. He was a real mess.
“Looking rather surprised, the judge asked him about his injuries. He replied, ‘Judge, I’m in terrible shape. I have cuts and scratches all over me and I’m feeling awful.’ The judge said, ‘I don’t understand this. The accident report filed by the officer says that at the time of the accident you told him you were fine.’
‘Well Judge,’ the man replied, ‘let me try to explain. I was driving my pickup truck and pulling a trailer. In the back of the pickup was my old dog Shep and my mule was in the trailer. All of a sudden an 18-wheeler sideswiped me, knocking me off the road. My pickup and trailer rolled over-and and-over, and we ended up at the bottom of a big embankment. The next thing I remem-ber, a police officer was picking his way through the wreckage. I saw him stop and examine the mule, then pulled out his pistol and shot the mule between the eyes.
Next, he got to where Shep was lying and after examining him, he shot old Shep too. Then he walked over to me and asked, How are you?’ And I said, ‘I ‘m just fine.”
Sometimes even when we say, “just fine” in reality when it comes right down to it, things may not be going really well at all. Things are not really going all that well with the Disciples; so, let me recap; the Disciples have gathered for what is to be their last meal with Jesus.They had entered into what Jesus no doubt intended to be a time of intimate sharing, arguing over who was to be considered the greatest (Luke 22:24. They had not only refused to wash each other feet, but Peter had also attempted to prevent Jesus from washing his feet (John 13:9-9). If the past is any indication of the present, they probably failed completely to grasp most of what Jesus was telling them. Moreover, Judas would betray Him, Peter would deny Him and all of them would aban-don Him. Yet despite all of this, Jesus tenderly spoke to his Disciples as to little children. This is one of the warmest and most intimate moments our Lord ever shared with His Disciples. As we read the words lets listen to the heart of Jesus.
First, Love’s Demonstration. (13:18-30)
“I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.’ (19) Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He. (20) Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” (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 answer-ed, “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.”
Judas was one of Jesus’ Disciples, one of the Twelve. He saw the same miracles, he heard the same preaching, He had lived in close fellowship with the other Disciples. Not one of the Disciples suspected him, and yet he remained unchanged. Such is a reminder to anyone who wants to just go through the motions of following Christ. You can go to a good church, you can hear sound teaching and preaching, you can be involved in various ministries and still miss Heaven, if you are not born again.
Notice How Jesus repeatedly reached out to Judas.
• He Washed His Feet. (John 13:10)
Jesus repeatedly reached out to Judas in the last hours before he betrayed Him. According to John’s gospel when Jesus washed the Disciples feet, He washed Judas feet the same as everyone else. As He did so Jesus said, “you are clean but not all” (v. 10). This was an appeal to Judas’ conscience telling him in effect, “Judas, old friend. I know you are not clean. But it’s not too late!”
• He Warned Him of a Traitor’s Fate. (v. 18)
In verse eighteen Jesus refers to Psalm 41 when He says that the one who will betray Him even then was sharing a meal with Him. Jesus is saying to Judas, “Do you remember the story of Ahithophel (a-hi-tho-fel) how he betrayed King David and ended up hanging himself.” (2 Sam. 15-17) Beware and remember the traitor’s fate.
• He Seated Him in a Place Of Honor. (13:26)
Even the seating arrangement was a demonstration of Jesus’ love for Judas. Judas was given a seat of honor to the left of Jesus, which meant as they reclined around the table that Jesus would have His head inches from Judas’ heart. It certainly was a wonderful opportunity to repent and tell Jesus without anyone else hearing the conversation.
• He Gave Him a Final Opportunity To Repent. (v. 26)
Jesus continued to reach out to Judas to the very end. According to John in response to Peter’s inquiry for further clarification (v. 24) as to the identity of the one who would betray Him Jesus said, “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.” (v. 26) According to the customs of the day, to take a piece of bread and dip into a common dish and offer it to someone is an expression of friend-ship. Jesus was quietly reaching out to Judas one last time saying, “I offer you my friendship and my forgive-ness. It is not too late. Will you accept it?” Judas took the bread but not the forgiveness.
While Judas’ betrayal was fulfillment of the prophecy of Scripture (Zech. 11:12-13; Jer 19:1-13), he was not forced to do anything against his will. He betrayed Jesus because he wanted to!!! Did Judas have a choice? Yes, he did but he made the wrong one. Though there is no way to know for sure WHY Judas did what he did, it was an act of his own will. The Gospel don’t tell us and anything else is just conjecture.
The Departure of Judas.
In recognition that Judas’ last chance has passed “Then Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.” (v. 27). Jesus knew Judas was now past any appeal to conscience or heart. Matthew’s account tells us something else Jesus said to Judas (Matt. 26:25). When Jesus said one of them would betray Him (John 13:21), they all asked, “Is it I?” (Matthew 26:22). Judas – sitting right next to Jesus – asked “Is it me teacher?” – it an ultimate act of hypocrisy, Judas knew very well that he was the one. To this, Jesus said to him privately, “You have said it” (Matthew 26:25). The point is, Judas knew that Jesus knew that He was the disciple who would betray his Master.
There is no small amount of irony in that it is said that then Jesus said to him, “Having received the piece of bread, he then went out immediately. And it was night.” (v. 30) The mention of darkness was more than physical, it was also indicative of the state of Judas’ soul.
Second, Love’s Demand Declared. (13:31-35) The New Commandment
“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.”
John introduces verse thirty-one with the notation that what Jesus says here was spoken “when he had gone out” or after the departure of Judas. The departure of Judas has transformed the feeling in the room, Jesus now alone with His true Disciples is free to speak more candidly about those things that are to come.
The first thing that Jesus mentions is His ultimate glorification. I will remind you that when Jesus says He will be glorified He means He will be crucified - for it is in the cross that His glory is revealed.
“But it should not be forgotten that this glorification which is the ultimate goal of His coming to the Earth – He welcomes willingly, joyfully and triumphantly. The greatest glory in life is that which comes through sacrifice and there can be no greater sacrifice than that which was made by Christ when he bore the sins of mankind on the Cross. But in so doing Jesus by His obed-ience brought glory to God the Father. And in Jesus, God the Father, glorifies Himself in His willingness to send His own Son that God put His own supreme love on display. But God the Father will further glorify, through – the resurrection, the ascension and the second coming will one day d
demonstrate to the whole world. His glory will be vindicated.” [William Barclay. The Gospel of John. Vol II. The New Daily Study Bible. (Louisville, KY: Westminster Joh Knox Press, 2001) pp. 172-173]
Reinstating a Basic Truth (vv. 33-35)
“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. (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.”
Now in all fairness the “newness” of the Lord’s commandment was not in its originality or novelty but in its extent. It was the practice of this kind of love that would cause the world to sit up and take notice.
The world was prejudiced against Christians ready to spread any kind of slander against them. They ridiculed and opposed them. They put them in jail and executed them. But they were compelled to pay grudging tribute to Christian love. Remarking ‘Behold how they love one another’ and ‘They love one another almost before they know one another.’ It was undeniable.
Leon Morris says that “such references ought to make modern Christians think hard. Ther are not many places in our busy, materialistic world where we believers so live as to compel the heathen to bear their testimony to the love we have for one another. On the contrary, they often accuse us of bickering among ourselves, of hardness, of indul-ging in petty criticisms of one another, of back biting, …Modern Christians should give serious thought to the importance of love for one another.” [Leon Morris. “Reflections on the Gospel of John.” (Peabody, Mass: Hendrickson Pub., 2000) pp. 485-486]
I think part of our problem is that we are all mixed up about what love is! Some people think of love as a feeling; yet Jesus describes love here in the terms of our actions. We want to wait until we feel love and then express it.
C. S. Lewis commenting on the subject of Christian love wrote, “Do not waste your time bothering whether you love your neighbor, act as if you do. As soon as we do this, we find one of the greatest secrets. When you are behaving as if you love someone, you will presently come to love him. If you injure someone you dislike, you will find yourself disliking him more. If you do him a good turn, you will find yourself disliking him less. [Our Daily Bread, Feb 14- www.bible.org/Illustrations]
The big question about this commandment is always “How” – How do go about loving one another? And the response that Jesus gives is – “as I have love you.” As in many places in Scripture the word “as” can be better understood as “since.” ‘Since I have love you – in the say way you should love one another!”
One commentator (Ray Stedman) pointed out three things about this. First, it was without respect of persons (James 2:1). He (Jesus) did not just love people who were easy to love, as we do. He chose to love the unlovely: people who were rejected, diffi-cult to love, looked down upon, held in contempt by society. He loved them, not because He wanted the feeling of love, but simply because they needed love and in love He responded. This is the characteristic of His love, it goes out to people who need love regardless of what they were like, no matter how dirty, leprous, hurtful, proud or arrogant they may be. It goes out because they need love, without respect of persons.
Secondly, that love will be expressed in deeds, not just words. It will not be mere talk about love, singing songs about love or calling oneself loving and not showing it. Love will be expressed in deeds. Deeds, not words.
Thirdly, it is love without end. This is how John describes that love where he introduces the whole chapter in these words, ‘Having loved His own, He loved them to the end.” (v. 1) He never gave up on them. He loved them as long as His love could do anything to reach them. And His love included even Judas. The love of Jesus reached out to all. [Ray Stedman. “The One Commandment.” www.pbc.org]
Third, Love’s Devotion Tested. (13:36-38)
“Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.” (37) Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake.” (38) Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times.”
Saying you love someone is one thing but the proof in in our actions. Talk is cheap if it is not backed up by action. Jesus did not call us to say we loved each other, He called us to demonstrate love one for another. Love is not just a warm fuzzy feeling, love is putting up with people not when they are at their best but when they are at their worst. It is loving people when they are unloving and unlovable.
• A General Warning to All the Disciples. (Mk. 14:27-29)
Mark in his account tells us that Jesus gave a general warning to all the Disciples by saying,
“…All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered.’ (28) “But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.” (Mark 14:27-28)
Jesus is talking to His Disciples about what to expect in the future when Peter obviously disturbed by the prediction of Jesus, breaks in with a state-ment in verse twenty-nine, “Peter said to Him, even if all are make to stumble, yet I will not be.” I am convinced that as Peter made this statement that he meant it. He no doubt intended to follow through, but he misjudged his abilities. We can be guilty of that too.
• The Specific Prediction to Peter. (v. 38)
I believe that John intends for his reader to take note of and contrast the difference between Judas and Peter. No other Disciple spoke up as often as Peter, no other Disciple was rebuked by Jesus as much and as strongly. No other Disciple confessed as boldly as Peter, and none bothered the Lord more. In all four lists of the Apostles in the Gospels, the order varies, but Peter is always first and Judas last. If Peter who heads the list of the Christ’s most intimate Disciples can fall and deny Jesus, then so can any of us. What happened to Peter happened in some degree or way to all the Apostles and to all that follow Christ today.
Peter’s declaration is verse thirty-eight that he was willing to lay down his life for Jesus led to a specific prediction for Peter, “Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times.”
That must have filled Peter with horror. We can imagine Peter reasoning to himself, “He is wrong about me. Why does He have such a poor opinion of me and especially to say it in front of the others.” In Mark’s account this led to a loud denial and pitiful declaration of loyalty on the part of Peter. “But he spoke more vehemently, ‘If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And they all said likewise.” (Mark 14:31) Its worthy of note that all the Disciples repeatedly declare “Lord, I am with you all the way, I am willing to die for you!” However, Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves.
Conclusion
When it comes to loving one another, when left to our own devices we seek out those who are most like us; bikers seek bikers, cowboys seek cowboys, middle-class people seek other middle-class people, etc. Can I submit to you that is NOT what Christ intended for His church. The early church was characterized by the fact that it was the only place in society that reached across gender lines, racial lines and economic lines. Paul said that in Christ, “…there is Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for all are one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal. 3:28) How does the world know we are Christians? Is it because we preach and teach the Bible? No. Unsaved people don’t know if what we teach is biblical or not. Is it because we help the poor, orphans and hungry children? NO! The standard that Jesus established was that we were to be known for our love for one another. The love binds together people who would not naturally be drawn together. “Loving one another” is not just a recommendation by our LORD – just another good piece of advice. Love is a command, one which John most certainly would not forget. If loving one another is a command, then our only choice is to obey or disobey!
“A New and Radical Kind of Love.”
John 13:18-30
First, Love’s Demonstration. (13:18-30)
Notice How Jesus repeatedly reached out to Judas.
• He washed his feet. (John 13:10)
• He warned him of a traitor’s fate. (v. 18)
• He seated him in a place of honor. (13:26)
• He gave him a final opportunity to repent.
(v. 26)
While Judas’ betrayal was a fulfilment of prophecy, he was not forced to do anything against his will.
Second, Love’s Demand Stated. (13:31-35)
The New Commandment
• This love was without respect of persons. (James 2:1)
• This love will be expressed in deeds, not just words.
• This love is without end. (13:1)
Third, Love’s Devotion Tested. (13:36-38)
• A general warning to all the Disciples. (Mark 14:27-29)
• The Specific Prediction to Peter. (v. 38)
