Betryal, Love, and Denial

John 13:18-38

Jesus Identifies His Betrayer

18 "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 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.

The New Commandment

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. 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. 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."

Jesus Predicts Peter's Denial

36 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.

The Lord first spoke of betrayal.  The betrayer was preordained to be Judas who would sell the Savior for thirty pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12-13) just as God told us through the Psalmist (Psalm 41:9) through whom the Messiah would come.  This betrayer would eat at the table with Jesus to look like a friend while selling Him for such a paltry sum destined for the potter in the temple; according to Constable, “throwing something to the potter was evidently a proverbial way of expressing disdain for it, since potters were typically poor and lowly craftsmen.”  And, "The fulfillment of this prophecy in Matthew 27:3-10 is proof enough that the money was flung down in the temple and immediately taken up by the priests to purchase a field of a potter for a burying ground for the poor."  Judas sold Jesus for a pittance because he was not a believer and only went along to pick the money from their box (John 12:6) as a thief just as the devil who filed him has come to kill and destroy God’s work and people, especially His Son and all who follow Him (Revelation 12:17).  Jesus made a point of pointing this out so the disciples would see the truth of the prophecy of Him in scripture and believe in Him as the I AM.  Only those who truly receive Him as the I AM, the divine joined with man (John 1:14), would be His and all who would hear and believe the testimony of these would be His as well.  Judas was neither a hearer nor a receiver of the truth and so was only numbered as a placeholder for another to take his place among the disciples until later replaced as Acts 1:17, 20, 26 shows us.  When Jesus therefore told them one of them was betrayal among their number, they immediately were concerned, perplexed, and questioned who it could be.  Jesus identified the perpetrator as the one who physically dipped bread with Him as a picture of the false association Judas had which was only the front for gleaning a living for himself from the money box.  How many we still have in our churches who are there for their own gain instead of to serve and honor God in Christ?  Jesus sent the betraying one out on the supposition by the others of buy food, but Jesus knew Satan had him in his grip and was set on the destruction of God’s Son.  What Judas apparently did not know was that this was God’s predetermined plan all along and that even the devil and his helpers are under God’s sovereign will and plan.  

Jesus then spoke of true love.  They were told to love each other as He had loved them, sacrificially and unreservedly true and for their eternal good.  Bec Gods was to glorify Himself in His Son and the Son of Man in Him, Jesus would soon be leaving them as He ascended back to heaven after being in the lower parts of the earth (Ephesians 4:9) of His creation.  Since He had lowered Himself (Philippians 2:7-8) to suffer in humility while really being the Sovereign King of all, they were to imitate Christ in His sacrificial love (1 Corinthians 11:1) for each other.  This is the mark of a true follower of Christ Jesus, godly love.  Without this sacrificial and humble care that does not seek its own (1 Corinthians 13:5) we are not His (1 John 3:10-11, 23).  

Finally, the Lord spoke of denial.  Peter was so proud as to miss the reality of his own spiritual frailty and arrogance as we all do in claiming we can never fail our Lord.  Peter would do so even as he denied it was ever possible.  As it is written, we should take heed lest we fall (1 Corinthians 10:12) by such proud claims as we put on a proud front to look spiritual.  Instead, we should be humble in admitting our frailty as a reality and not an excuse to sin further (1 John 1:8-9.  Peter boldly and without full understanding glibly exclaimed that he would follow Jesus wherever He went, not knowing that meant to the suffering of reproach with beatings and mocking and then the death of a painful crucifixion on a tree of the curse of our sin (Deuteronomy 21:23, Galatians 3:13) for him and for us.  Peter was therefore plainly told that he would deny Jesus not once, but three times, when His time came.  We also are subject to the same weakness of self preservation and can learn from this example how to follow closer with a more full understanding before rashly promising our perfection in following our Lord.  Let us learn from these lessons of betrayal, love, and denial to commit ourselves to Him as to a faithful Creator (1 Peter 4:19) in true love and humility as we serve our Lord and each other.