John 13:21-30 – The Gospel of John

Today's reading is from John chapter 13, verses 21 to 30.

John 13:21–30

After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit and testified, Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.

The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke.

One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus' side.

So Simon Peter mentioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking.

So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, Lord, who is it?

Jesus answered, It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.

So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.

Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him.

Jesus said to him, What you are going to do, do quickly.

Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him.

Some thought that because Judas had the money bag, Jesus was telling him, buy what we need for the feast, or that he should give something to the poor.

So after receiving the morsel of bread, he w immediately went out and it was night.

And so reads God's word.

Please can I encourage you to either pull up that passage on your phone or if you need a Bible, there's a Bible down here to be able to follow along as we consider what God has to say to us.

It's important that we realize that at City Church we value God and His Word, and it is through the Word, by the Spirit, that we hear His voice.

So it's important that we see it for ourselves.

So let me encourage you in that.

There are conversations and moments in life that stick with you.

Moments in which you're having a difficult conversation with someone.

A conversation in which you are pleading with them, pleading that they would stop, that they wouldn't do this, that they wouldn't go down that road.

I remember having that very conversation one evening.

He was professing faith in Jesus Christ.

And he had out of the blue, packed his things, walked out for his wife to come home and realize he wasn't there.

He during that summer, I remember, would go between saying, sorry, to I don't want anything to do with you.

They had been planning that summer to actually go on a trip to consider ministry in India and Bangladesh.

And instead, he used the airfares to go on a trip, and while he was there, he slept with someone else.

Whether it was guilt or shame, he decided to divulge that.

And I heard about what he had done, and and this was someone I loved.

Someone I thought I could look up to in the faith.

Someone who had actually poured into me, encouraged me.

And yet I was stood in my room calling him.

And he picked up and he answered, and I said, What are you doing?

And he hung up on me.

So I called back again.

And this time he didn't hang up.

And instead, what I tried to do in that moment as best as I could by God's grace was to warn him, was to plead with him.

Even though he had caused so much pain and hurt, though he had been so foolish, I in some ways wanted to hurt him myself.

But in that moment, by God's grace, I was pleading with him.

So I told him if you continue down this road, if you go this way, if you go after the things of this world, there is a guarantee that you are headed towards death itself.

You are choosing to reject life in Christ and you are going towards death.

He knew the gospel.

The consequences were going to be devastating.

I don't know if you've ever had that sort of conversation.

Or if you've ever watched someone you care about head toward destruction.

Not physical destruction, but spiritually.

It is a painful and incredibly weighty thing.

And this passage that we are dealing with, it is not light.

It is not easy, but heavy and hard.

It is a warning.

Warning to you and I against the danger of playing with sin.

Warning to you and I not to believe the lie that sin promises.

The chapter has been building toward this moment in verse 21.

It has been building towards this moment.

If you look back at verse 2, it's sorry, during supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him.

Verse 10, and you are clean, Jesus says, but not every one of you, for he knew who was to betray him.

That was why he said, Not all of you are clean.

Verse 17, if you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

I am not speaking of all of you.

I know whom I have chosen, but the scripture will be fulfilled.

He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.

Because we need to appreciate the tension in this moment, to understand what is happening, that Jesus in subtle ways has been preparing his disciples for this moment, for what he is about to say.

And for the disciples who were there reclining at the table with Jesus, they weren't clear what was about to happen.

They didn't understand fully what Jesus had been saying.

But the moment comes for Jesus to make it clear, to draw back the curtain, so to speak, on what he's been saying, to declare with absolute certainty what he means.

This narrative is compelling, but it is scary.

Frightening if we appreciate what is happening.

And it begins with the accusation.

Verse 21.

Truly, truly I say to you, one of you will betray me.

This is the mic drop.

This is the big reveal, the clinch moment.

These words of Jesus would have seemed so unbelievable.

Think about this.

Jesus, do you know who you are talking to?

Jesus, it's us, your disciples.

How could you say that?

If Jesus was among the religious leaders in this moment, we might be able to understand that they hated Jesus.

That was clear.

If Jesus was with Roman soldiers or governors, we could get this.

They were so frightened of losing their power to this so-called king that the unrest he was creating was not what they wanted.

But here in this room, Jesus is with his closest friends.

And he declares these words.

Men he had been with for three years, men he had loved dearly, men he had laughed with, men he has worked with, men he has lived with, men who left everything to follow him.

One of you will betray me.

The problem for us is we struggle to appreciate the way.

To see our Savior not just facing rejection, but facing a betrayal from one whom he had invited to come.

One he drew near, facing betrayal from one he had chosen to show such love toward.

John, inspired by the Spirit, makes it clear not just what Jesus is saying, but what he is experiencing in this moment.

You see that back in verse 21.

Jesus was troubled in his spirit.

Those feelings of anxiety, the feelings of weightiness and sadness that we all experience, are in this moment being experienced and felt by Jesus in a profound way.

All of us can consider the moment when you lost a friendship.

That moment when there's been a breakdown between you and a family member.

And even as you think right now in this moment about that, it can still at times make you sick to the stomach.

Feelings of sadness, disbelief, and anger of what happened.

And yet, what Jesus is going through is accentuated by who he is and what is happening.

Seeing Judas reclining with him, right there before him, knowing that he has just washed this man's feet, and yet knowing Judas is about to go to betray him in order that he might be killed.

Judas pretending as though nothing was wrong, playing the part, and yet knowing exactly what he was about to do.

But it is clear in this moment Jesus has complete knowledge of this situation.

This accusation, this declaration of judgment is unmistakable.

One of you will betray me.

His hour has come, the moment has arrived.

Not because things are out of control, not because evil is winning, but because God is working.

The knowledge of Jesus in this is revealing the authority of Jesus.

That he in no way is just being swept along by forces too great for him.

No, but rather God, Father, Son, and Spirit in this very moment are bringing their redemption plan to completion.

Because the truth is, if this is not true, then the security we have in our salvation is not secure.

Because Jesus does have supreme authority and knowledge.

Jesus isn't just being whisked along here.

He knows what is happening, and he knows this is where he needs to go.

This is how we can rest and trust him.

In this moment, Jesus is wanting us to know you can trust, you can rest, knowing my salvation is sure and secure.

Verse 19 says this, I'm telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place, you may believe that I am He.

This is the road, a road that Jesus has chosen to walk, knowing the purpose and the reason he is walking it, knowing who he is walking it for.

Any who would come to believe in him, because this revelation of Judas' betrayal is on the back of Jesus' invitation.

If you look at the previous verse, verse 20, truly, truly I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.

What is being made crystal clear is we either receive Jesus or reject Jesus.

There is no in-between.

These words that are exposing Judas and what he is about to do should also expose us.

They should expose our hearts before him.

It's easy for us to sit here and to think, oh, how could you do that, Judas?

How could you do that?

After everything, after all you've seen, after all you heard, after all you experienced, how could you do that?

Yet though this is a declaration that is specific to Judas, it is true of all of us.

True of you, true of me.

You can think and act shocked.

I would never do such a thing.

But we have all treated Jesus in such a way.

We have all had moments in our lives living for what we think is best.

How many times we have rejected him for who he is, betrayed him, turning away from his loving rule over our lives, going after what seems best to us, believing we know what is best.

It can be easy for us to sit in judgment, but we need to realize that Jesus is not just naive toward you and I.

As he knows and sees Judas' heart, he knows and sees our heart.

As he knows and sees what Judas will do, he sees all that we do.

To think otherwise is to deceive yourself.

It is not whether you and I will betray Jesus.

You have, I have.

But it is what we do when we are confronted with that.

When our hearts are exposed, because it is only a few verses later in which Jesus will point and speak to Peter.

Not this Peter, Peter back in the day, predicting Peter's denial of him.

And yet we know that Peter returns to Jesus, his Savior.

As Jesus brings this bombshell, the disciples are shocked.

They just cannot comprehend what he is saying, unsure what to do or say.

Verse 22, the disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke.

You can just imagine this room.

They're all there reclining by the table.

And Jesus says this, one of you will betray me, and there's just glances at one another.

Like, who's he talking about?

Do you know?

Do you shocked?

And here we see that the investigation begins.

I don't know what investigation.

There we go.

I didn't know whether it was happening or not.

I'm glad it was.

Anyway, investigation.

Verse 23.

One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at the table at Jesus' side.

So Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking.

So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, Lord, who is it?

To appreciate what's going on, we need to actually understand the common custom of what was happening.

When we have a meal together, I suspect for most of us, if not all of us, we go round the table and we're all sat in our chairs.

Each sat on our own chair.

And yet at this time in this culture, that wasn't the case.

That the image is helping us, even the men reclining at the table.

Because this is what would have been done.

That this table would have been only a little bit off the ground, and they would have been laid down, leaning upon their left arm as they ate from the table, as they reclined together, side by side, lying down in that way.

Eating was not just merely something to get through.

I don't know if that's the culture in your family or the family you grew up.

Right, go.

That's not what this is.

This was a time of sharing together, a time of genuine intimacy, of cultivating and growing bonds with one another.

Consider why Jesus is so harshly criticized throughout the gospels by the religious leaders.

How many times he is going to eat with tax collectors and sinners.

Because it's a sign of belonging, it's a sign of closeness.

And the religious leaders could not accept that.

And in this moment of tension, Peter is desperate to know.

And if you know Peter, you can think, oh, of course, this is Peter.

He's that sort of character.

But instead of himself jumping in, he decides to let another go and ask.

Now, potentially this might be because Peter is not wanting to put his foot in it, which he tends to do.

And maybe it's because of what's just happened.

Because if you remember the verses before, Peter has gotten all dramatic.

Jesus wants to wash their feet, and Peter's like, wash my whole body, and Jesus is like, No, just your feet.

So he might be like, okay, I'm not gonna put my foot in it this time.

But whatever the reason, we see the scene of the disciple who Jesus loved being encouraged to ask Jesus.

And it is known that John, the gospel writer, who is writing this, himself was referred as the disciple Jesus loved.

And yet, in this moment, John refuses to put his name out there.

Because I think this moment is not about him being loved, but rather the one who has chosen to love, Jesus himself.

He doesn't want attention on him, the attention is upon Jesus.

And in the midst of this accusation, instead of drawing away from Jesus, we see this moment of intimacy.

John shares with Jesus.

So that disciple leaning back against Jesus said to him, Lord, who is it?

Now we need to remember the scene.

They are reclining.

Literally, this would have been John leaning against the chest of Jesus.

That is what is being described here.

This sort of depth of relationship that he leans in upon the chest of Jesus.

In a moment of tension, a moment in which Jesus has landed this shocking accusation.

The one Jesus loves draws near.

Not scared or worried about Jesus' response, but confident in who he is drawing toward.

It is a beautiful image of the intimacy of the relationship.

A beautiful image of how incredible Jesus is that he would invite and allow John to do such a thing.

That he would invite this sort of relationship.

I don't know if John would have just taken this for granted or been astonished by it.

That in this moment, so close is John's relationship to Jesus, the Son of God, God Himself in the flesh, that he rests upon his chest.

And though in 2023 we're not able to physically rest upon Jesus, the Son of God's chest, spiritually, this is an image of what we are invited into.

The intimacy that we have been encouraged to enjoy with our Savior.

And I wonder how much do you, do we individually, corporately, truly actually appreciate this?

Understanding what Jesus is facing in this moment was in part enabling us to be able to come to him in such a way.

The betrayal, the rejection, the suffering, the cross itself.

All in order for us to be able to come to know him.

All in order for us to be able to receive him.

All in order for us to be able to experience his love for us.

All in order for us to be able to see him face to face one day.

Instead of being rejected by him, instead of being sent from him, instead of receiving the punishment we deserve.

Do you grasp this, brother or sister in Christ?

Do you really understand what you are invited into?

The sort of intimacy Jesus longs for with us.

Because I promise you that if you do not and if you are not seeking this, you are missing out.

There is nothing better, nothing more satisfying than knowing Him.

Do you actually believe that?

Do you actually live like that?

That above all else, you need Him.

Above all else, you hunger and thirst for Him, for that relationship.

To not have some superficial relationship, but rather in the depth of relationship, being able to be known by Him fully and completely.

In the depth of your being by His Spirit, experiencing and rejoicing in Him, knowing how good it is, drawing toward Him, resting upon Him.

Because if this is you, then I know there will be certain things that are evident in your life.

You will prioritize other brothers and sisters in Christ.

The church is not merely a place we go to, but a people we belong to.

The word will be central in your life.

The Bible itself, it's not not that you will, it's not about just reading it, though obviously read it, but it's that your choices and decisions are actually filtered through it.

That how you act and behave will be increasingly shaped by the gospel itself.

Not just your preferences.

Your life will be growing in godliness, putting death, your sin to death.

You will have a growing burden for the lost.

That if you are close to Jesus, if you know Jesus' heart, then your heart will be shaped by his for those who do not know him.

Your friends, your colleagues, your course mates, your neighbors, your local barista, the local mums in your community.

If you're a guy, that's weird.

I'm meaning mums to mums kind of situation there.

The alternative to this relationship is frightening.

Jesus does not merely leave the accusation as vague or uncertain, but as John investigates, seeking an answer, Jesus reveals to John who it is.

The revelation, verse 26, Jesus answered, It is he to whom I will give the morsel of bread when I have dipped it.

So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.

Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him.

That as we begin the chapter, there is vague things that are leading us towards the betrayal of Jesus.

And then he states it clearly: one of you will betray me.

And here, now in this moment, he identifies and reveals Judas as his betrayer.

And as John records this, he doesn't leave it to chance.

He is clear in who Jesus is referring to.

Not just a random Judas, which would have been a name used, but the son of Simon Iscariot.

Do you get that contrast that is happening?

Just a few verses before, John is unprepared to reveal himself as the disciple Jesus loved.

And yet here there is crystal clear clarity who is the betrayer of Jesus.

There is no uncertainty.

Because for us, as we read this, it is helping show what is central.

And that is the betrayal of Jesus by a man whom he has chosen and shown love toward.

A man he has served.

The consequence for Judas is horrific.

Like when we read these words, Satan entered into him.

That is scary.

Back in verse 2, we see how this work had already begun, that the devil had already begun to try and tempt Judas.

The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas, Isgariat, Simon's son, to betray him.

But now here in this moment we see the picture of Judas' condemnation.

Looking what is happening.

That Judas has allowed these desires to grow in his heart.

And Judas has been lured away from the Savior for the promise of becoming richer.

And in this moment, Jesus' actions is serving, in serving him, is bringing judgment upon him.

As he gives the bread.

Jesus knows his heart.

Jesus sees and knows.

Because the greatest action, when we think about this idea of service and condemnation, the greatest action of service is Jesus dying upon the cross.

That death that condemns any who would reject him.

The cross is glorious, beautiful, full of grace to those who receive Jesus.

And yet it is condemning to those who reject him.

This should rightly grip us.

There is great weight to what is taking place in this moment.

It is utterly devastating.

Both to understand the weight of Jesus' betrayal, but also to understand the demise of Judas.

It is heartbreaking.

When we believe our sin does not matter.

When we downplay the commands of God towards us, when we do not fight to live godly lives, we are playing with death itself.

This is a stark warning for you and me.

Do you truly feel the weight of the spiritual war we are in?

In our world, we live in Western culture in such a materialistic physical reality, and yet we need to recognize there is a spiritual war taking place.

Do you truly realize that you cannot take lightly your sin?

God's grace is on display for us to see.

God's grace was on display for Judas to see, to witness close up.

And yet, there is a danger that if we do not take seriously our sin, we too can fall in such a way.

Not that we lose our salvation, that is not what Scripture says.

But rather we prove that we were never saved.

That as Jesus declares, we never truly received him.

Judas to the disciples looked like one of them.

Judas played the part.

And that is scary.

We cannot play the part as Christians.

You cannot pretend to be a Christian.

We can't pretend that we're doing okay when really we are enslaved to sin, struggling to put it to death in our life, continually returning to sin without repentance.

This is not about you living a perfect life.

Don't hear that.

But this is about the danger of sin in our life that we seek to justify.

Oh, it's okay, it's not that bad.

Sin in our life that we seek to downplay.

Sin in our life that has been exposed.

We know it's sin.

We've had it exposed to us, and yet we are unprepared to let go of it.

That is what this is addressing.

Sin that we know does not honor Jesus.

Sin that we know that we are actually showing we love this more than him.

Because ultimately that is what sin is.

And in verse 30, we see so after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out, and it was night.

John, as he writes this, everything he writes is intentional, inspired by the Spirit, that he writes with purpose.

And as he considers Judas, and as you consider Judas leaving, the image should strike us.

And it was night.

Judas departs, leaves the light of the world, and goes into the darkness.

The image of light itself being life, the image of darkness being death, that runs throughout this gospel.

That image should hit us with force.

But it should also shake us up.

Not to just believe, oh, how bad that is, what a tragedy, but rather to consider that we would not take Jesus for granted.

To not just ignore that sin you know he is calling you to put to death, but to step into the light with freedom.

On one side, we see John drawing near to Jesus.

And on the other side, we see Judas departing.

We cannot have both.

We are not able to think we can desire and want what we want, to go after the things of this world, to live the life for us, me, me, me, and just have Jesus on the side.

This is not about whether you sin or not.

We all sin, but it's what's central to you.

Is Jesus your first love above any other love?

Is he the one you truly delight in?

Who brings you great joy?

Or are we taking for granted the price Christ paid?

When we look throughout scripture, we see this call to not treat lightly our faith, to not just think, I'm okay, but to strain toward the goal.

That is what Paul expresses.

Straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

That though you might stumble, though you have moments of failing, at the end of the day, Jesus is your treasure.

At the end of the day, you do not just go from him when you muck up, but you return to him.

Knowing the kind of Savior He is.

And that by His Spirit I would grow in my knowledge of my salvation, in my joy of my salvation, that I wouldn't treat it lightly, that I would by his spirit not play with sin that only brings death.

That by his spirit I would know the deep soul-satisfying embrace of my Savior more and more, who has invited me to come.

I don't know what God is wanting for each one of us individually specifically.

I know he knows, but I have a burden for any of you who've just been sensing the weight.

You come into this place, and maybe this is already begun.

The weight that comes in the knowledge of the fact that you know you're rejecting him.

You know that there is a sin in your life, and and you're refusing to give it over.

The weight that comes in the fact that you will not let it go.

You are unprepared for that.

And my cry is please listen.

Hear the word of God to you.

Don't play with sin.

Sin being exposed is an actual gift to us.

When sin is exposed, it reminds us of our need of Jesus.

Running to Him, knowing and entrusting ourselves to Him, repenting and turning faith once again.

Let me encourage you as we close with this section from one Peter.

He committed no sin.

Neither was deceit found in his mouth.

When he was reviled, he did not revile in return.

When he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.

By his wounds you have been healed, for you were strained like sheep, but have now returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls.

If you found this helpful or want to know more about City Church Dublin, please visit our website found in the link below.