The Impostor At The Table : Do You Know Jesus Or Just Know Of Him?

Introduction: The Impostor at the Table : Do you know Jesus or just know of Him?

I want to take you back—not to a pulpit or a church pew—but to a table.

Not just any table… but the most sacred table in history.

The table where love and betrayal met face to face.

The Last Supper.

But before they ever broke bread, before Jesus ever lifted the cup, something remarkable happened that we must not miss.

The King of Glory—the One who spoke the universe into existence—got up from the table, wrapped a towel around His waist, knelt down on the floor… and began to wash His disciples’ feet.

Think about that for a moment.

The hands that had touched lepers… now cupped dirty, calloused heels.

The hands that had lifted the dead back to life… now wiped grime from between toes.

The One who created rivers and oceans… now poured water into a basin to serve.

And one by one, He knelt before each man—men who would soon doubt Him, deny Him, and desert Him—and He washed their feet.

Then He got to Peter.

Peter recoiled. “No way, Lord. You’ll never wash my feet.”

Jesus looked up and said,

“Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me.” (John 13:8)

Suddenly Peter’s resistance turned into desperation:

“Then not just my feet, Lord—but my hands and my head as well!”

That’s what true surrender sounds like.

Peter didn’t just want to walk with Jesus. He wanted to be fully immersed in Him.

But then came the moment that stops me in my tracks…

Jesus knelt in front of Judas.

He knelt before the one who had already sold Him out in his heart.

The one who had already made the deal.

The one who would walk out of that room and betray the Son of God with a kiss.

And Jesus… washed… his… feet.

The Messiah knelt before His traitor.

Can you imagine that?

Can you picture Jesus looking up at Judas with love in His eyes…

…knowing full well that those feet He was cleaning would carry Judas down a dark road to deliver Him to His death?

He washed them anyway.

Because that’s what love does.

That’s who Jesus is.

And after the basin was emptied, and the towel set aside, and the meal began…

Jesus broke the silence with a thunderclap of truth.

“Truly I tell you… one of you will betray Me.” (Matthew 26:21)

A wave of horror swept through the room.

The disciples looked around, stunned, grieved, disoriented.

One by one they asked, “Surely not I, Lord?”

But then Judas…

Judas said something different.

“Surely not I, Rabbi?”

Rabbi.

Not Lord… but Rabbi.

Not Master. Not Savior. Not Son of God. Just… teacher.

In that one word, Judas revealed the condition of his heart.

He had seen every miracle, walked beside the Messiah, watched heaven touch earth again and again…

But he never surrendered.

He never made Jesus Lord.

So I ask you tonight—and I don’t ask this casually, I ask this from the depths of my soul:

Do you know Jesus? Or do you just know of Him?

Because you can sit at the table…

You can lift your hands in worship…

You can serve in ministry, quote Scripture, pray in public…

…and still walk away with clean feet and a dirty heart.

You can have proximity without intimacy.

You can be part of the crowd without being part of the Kingdom.

You can kiss the face of the Savior—and still be lost.

Let me tell you something sobering.

Years ago, a man impersonated a doctor in a hospital. He wore the white coat. He walked the halls. He even gave medical advice. He looked the part. Sounded the part. People trusted him. But he never had a license. Never had the authority. Never did the work.

He was just playing a part… until lives were put in danger.

You can do the same thing with faith.

You can dress the part. Talk the talk. Look spiritual. Fool people.

But you can’t fool Jesus.

“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord…’ And I will say to them, ‘I never knew you.’” (Matthew 7:22–23)

This morning, Jesus is not looking for fans.

He’s not interested in Facebook followers.

He’s not collecting casual admirers.

He’s calling for surrender.

He’s calling for disciples.

Not just people who know His name…

But people who know His voice.

So I ask you again—don’t answer with your lips, answer with your life:

Do you know Jesus… or do you just know of Him?

Let’s find out.

Point 1: Judas Saw Every Miracle… But Still Didn’t Believe

Church, listen to me—Judas was there for all of it.

He wasn’t on the outside looking in.

He didn’t hear the miracles secondhand.