JOHN 13:18-30 NOW I TELL YOU BEFORE IT COMES, THAT WHEN IT DOES COME TO PASS, YOU MAY BELIEVE THAT I AM HE

                       In this section of Scripture we see Jesus pointing out that Judas is the one who will betray Him and that He is telling this so they will believe He is the I AM God of the Old Testament who has come in the flesh.  He also tells them that it will fulfill the Scriptures to show how accurate they are and that all that is said in them is true and will come true if it is a future prediction.  Jesus fulfilled over 300 prophecies when He came the first time and will fulfill at least that many when He comes again.  If you haven’t believed on Him, the question is why not?  Who fulfilled prophecies and done as many great signs that show He is God? No one, so believe on Him today and be saved. 

We have seen the divine origin of the betrayal.

Now we see the declaration of it

 19 "Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He.

He' is in italics; it's not there in the original. "That ye may believe that I am." 'I am' is whose name? God's name. Jesus says, "I want you to know that I am God."

That I Am GOD

 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."

While Jesus is indirectly exposing Judas as an unbeliever here, His emphasis is on believing, believing in Him. This is the thrust of verse 20.

This seems at first to be disconnected, but I'll try to connect it for you at best I can. He continues to declare this betrayal by saying, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He whom receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth Me. And He that receiveth Me receiveth Him who sent Me." You say, "What's that doing in there?" And, initially, it doesn't seem to fit. It seems like it's pulled out of some other chapter or something. But it fits. Oh, it fits beautifully. We don't know what went on in the gap between verses nineteen and twenty. But you could imagine that when the disciples would have known about the betrayal, they would have all said, "Oh, man! That's the end of the whole show. I mean, one lousy disciple blew the whole deal. Jesus goes to the cross. The whole thing's going to fall apart." And so, what Jesus is saying here is this: "No matter what happens, men, that doesn't lower your commission. No matter what happens, betrayal or no betrayal, hypocrite or not, no matter what happens, it doesn't lower your commission one whit. Not at all." The Lord has been teaching them to humble themselves in the manner He illustrated by washing their feet. The Lord has been teaching them that they are to preach the Gospel. And when they see the apostasy of the betrayer, they may begin to think, "Well, maybe our commission is over with. Maybe our work has ceased. Maybe it's all done now." And so Christ is saying, "Not so. Nothing changes. You are still my representatives. Though there's a traitor among you, that doesn't lower your high calling. That doesn't reduce your commission. The treachery of Judas must never lower your estimate of Apostolic responsibility."

Just because it's going to be diffi­cult and just because there's going to be opposition doesn't lower your calling one whit. Nor your commission. These disciples were still Christ's ambassadors in the world. And this verse says that "When I send you brother, you represent Me and God in this world." And that's as high as you can get. But did you notice that the verse has a general content, way beyond the disciples. It uses the word 'whomsoever.' "Whomsoever I send." You know that that refers to you and me, ambassadors of Jesus Christ in every age? When you move out into this world, Christian friend, you represent Jesus Christ. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:20, Now then, we are ambassadors for Jesus Christ, and we beg you in Christ's stead. Be reconciled to God." Do you know that when we go out and ask men to come to Jesus Christ, we are doing it in the place of Jesus Christ? We're his ambassadors, his representatives. When a man rejects your witness, he rejects Jesus and he rejects God. You as a Christian absolutely represent Christ. In Galatians 4:14, the apostle Paul says this, "You received me as an angel of God even as Christ Jesus." And that's the way everybody ought to receive a believer. When you walk into a situation, my friend, you are there in the place of Jesus Christ. That's how high your calling is. And whoever in this world receives you, receives Christ and God Himself. And whoever refuses you rejects Christ and rejects God. That's how strategically important you are.

 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."

This is the third time in John’s Gospel that Jesus has been described as being “greatly distressed.” He was “intensely moved in spirit and greatly distressed” at the burial site of Lazarus (John 11:33). Later on, in chapter 12, the soul of our Lord was greatly distressed at the prospect of His coming “hour” of suffering the penalty for man’s sin (12:27). Now, our Lord is greatly distressed at the thought of one of His own followers betraying Him (13:21). As I read the text, our Lord’s distress is not self-centered; He is distressed over the spiritual condition, conduct, and destiny of one of His own.

Joh 11:33 ¶ Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.

 Joh 12:27 ¶ "Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save Me from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour.

Jesus was greatly distressed over the destiny of Judas. Is this not an example of what Jesus Himself had taught?

Matthew 5:43-48 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ and ‘hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be like your Father in heaven, since he causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? The tax collectors do that too, don’t they? 47 And if you only greet your brothers, what more do you do? The Gentiles do that too, don’t they? 48 So then, you be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (

While Jesus is said to be distressed three times in John, this term is also used by our Lord when instructing His disciples not to be distressed (John 14:1, 27). How can Jesus tell His disciples not to be distressed, when He is? In the case of our Lord, He is distressed in spirit (11:33; 13:21) and in His soul (12:27). His disciples are told not to be distressed in heart (14:1, 27). This forbidden distress seems to be that of unbelief (14:1) resulting in fear and the loss of courage (14:27).

You could probably list twenty-five things that troubled Him. Here's a few: He was troubled because of the unrequited love of Judas; He was troubled because of the ingratitude in Judas' heart; He was troubled because He had a deep hatred of sin and it was sitting right next to Him, sin incarnate; He was troubled because He was shrinking about from contact with the one about to betray Him; He was troubled because He knew of the eternal destiny in Hell; He was troubled because He could see with His omnipotent eye Satan moving around Judas; he was troubled because He had a knowledge of the sin of the betrayer and the terrors of his eternal punishment; He was troubled because He sensed all that sin and death meant; He was troubled because He had an inner awareness that Judas was a classic illustration of the wretchedness of sin, sin which He would have to bear in His own body on the next day, sin for which He would be made responsible, and would die for. He was troubled. He was in deep sorrow.

You remember at the tomb of Lazarus, as He thought about sin and death, He groaned in His inner man. He's in deep sorrow later in the garden of Gethsemane as He even sweats drops of blood, his whole system breaking down in the agony. And here He is, troubled, deeply, over sin and death and all that Judas is about to do. And in His trouble, he bursts out and says, "One of you is going to betray Me." And the statement is a shocking statement. Their hearts must have raced. Their pulses must have been frantic. "One of you at this table, one of you whose feet I washed, one of you who have had the honor of being my first ambassadors, one of you will betray Me. One of you will use your intimacy of Me to guide the enemy, to take Me and kill Me." "Mine own familiar friend," the psalmist said, "has lifted up his heel against me." "One of you."

22 Then the disciples looked at one another, perplexed about whom He spoke.

The Synoptic Gospels provide us with a most significant detail. When informed that one of them would betray Him, the 11 disciples responded one way, while Judas responded differently:

Matthew 26:21-25 21 And while they were eating he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.” 22 They were deeply grieved and each one began to say to him, “Surely not I, Lord?” 23 He answered, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man will go as it is written about him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for that man if he had not been born.” 25 Then Judas, who betrayed him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself”.

Each of the believing disciples asks his Lord if it is him; Judas asks the Rabbi. After all Judas has seen and heard, Jesus is still only a teacher to him.

And so, we see the divine origin and the declaration, and then the doubt. The disciples don't know who He is talking about. And in verses 22-25 they express that. They're shocked. Who is this? Matthew says they all said, "Is it I? Is it I?" And Judas even said, "Is it I?" Hypocrite. That's how it is; the hypocrites are around, aren't they? I told you that only Jesus knows who they are.

For the moment, Jesus focuses His attention on Judas. Jesus dipped a piece of bread in the dish and handed it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. What an incredible, defining, moment this was! Jesus and Judas must have locked eyes. Judas had to have known that Jesus knew everything. Jesus knew Judas was the betrayer. He knew Judas did not really believe in Him. He knew Judas had already reached an agreement with the chief priests. He knew that Judas would soon go to the Jewish authorities, and lead them to Him, to arrest Him. In spite of all this, Judas reached out and took the bread, knowing what that meant. It forever sealed his doom.

If Judas and Jesus knew exactly what was going on, the rest of the disciples were without a clue.

In Matthew 13, when Jesus gave the parables of this age, He described this age in an interesting way. And I want you to listen to this. Matthew 13:24: "Another parable put He forth unto them, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the household came and said unto him, 'Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in the field? From where then hath it tares?'" What's the false doing among the true? "He said unto them, "An enemy hath done this." See, wherever God sows His good seed, Satan sows his tares, doesn't he. If there is truth in the church, there are hypocrites, people playing a game. "The servant said to him, 'Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?' But he said to them, 'Nay. Lest while you gather up the tares, you root up the wheat with them.'" In other words, you can't tell the difference at this point of growth. You have to wait till it's dry and ready to harvest, then the difference becomes obvious. "'Let both grow together until the time of the harvest, and at the time of harvest, I will say to the reapers, 'Gather together first the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn."' There's coming a day, friends, when Jesus is going to decide who is the true and who is the hypocrite. I can't tell. I wish I could. If I could, I'd go to every hypocrite individually and warn him of his hypocrisy. And invite him to leave this fellowship unless he was legitimate. But I can't do that, because I can't read people's hearts. There are some telltale signs. But someday Jesus is going to know who's true and who's false. And divide accordingly.

 23 Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.

This is John's first reference to himself as the beloved disciple. Rather the description reveals his appreciation for God's grace in loving him as He did. He focused the reader's attention on Jesus more forcefully by omitting his own name.

 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?"

Now this brings out the loveliness of Jesus. Isn't it interesting that the disciples were so perplexed. You know what that proves to me? That shows to me that Jesus had shown love to Judas for three years. Don't you know that they would have detected if Jesus, you know, Jesus could have been very bitter about Judas, right? All the way along, just resenting him, resenting him, resenting him. And it would have come out, in the way he talked to him. But, evidently, for three years He'd been gentle, loving, and kind to Judas in exactly the same fashion that the other eleven had experienced it, so that they didn't see any difference at all. In fact, Judas even was treasurer of the group. They trusted him. And so, evidently, that's the loveliness of Jesus, he had been constantly kind to Judas, privately rebuking him from time to time. But publicly showing him love. And hard-hearted Judas had just played his game, all the way along. He had the behavior of a saint, and the heart of a sinner.

 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.

Passover participants normally did this early in the meal. The host would sometimes do this and pass a morsel of bread and meat to an honored guest. Jesus did this to Judas.

Judas must have sat near enough to Jesus for Jesus to do this conveniently (cf. Matt. 26:25). Possibly Judas reclined to Jesus' immediate left. If he did, this would have put him in the place of the honored guest immediately to the host's left.

Perhaps it was the apparently high honor that Jesus bestowed on Judas by extending the morsel to him that counteracted what Jesus had just said to John about the betrayer. Could Jesus really mean that the disciple who was the guest of honor would betray Him? This apparent contradiction may explain John's lack of response to Jesus' words to him about the betrayer.

Jesus' act of friendship to Judas triggered Judas' betrayal of Jesus' friendship. This was Jesus' final gesture of supreme love for Judas (cf. v. 1).

Then, point number four, Jesus gives the display that reveals the betrayer. And I believe that this was reserved for Peter and John. I believe they're the only ones who caught the message here, because later on it says that the other disciples didn't know what was going on. But Peter and John saw what happened.

Now, you say, what is sop? Sop would be a piece of unleavened bread, broken from some of the unleavened cakes that would be on the table having broken it off, there would be on the table in very many places a dish. And there was a dish called cheshireth, and it was filled with bitter herbs, vinegar, salt, mashed fruit consisting of dates and figs and raisins and water, and it was made kind of like a dip. And they would put the unleavened bread in there, and absorb some of that dip, and then they would eat it. And now it was always a mark of honor for the host to dip a sop and give it to the guest of honor. And Jesus, lovingly, kindly, in a gesture of love toward Judas, dips the sop, and gives it to Judas on His left, as if Judas was the guest of honor. I personally would not be surprised to find out some time in eternity that Jesus even asked Judas to sit beside Him, hoping that somehow He could communicate love, and break that impenitent heart. And so, Jesus did everything He could to show His love to Judas. He even gave him the token which signified him as the guest of honor. And incidentally, the one who sat on the left was number one guest. And Judas had that seat. You would think that this would have broken Judas' heart, wouldn't you? All of this on top of washing feet and everything else, but it didn't. You see, Judas was an apostate. By this time Judas was hard, and all the sweet love of Jesus couldn't recall that one whose salvation was now impossible. He was a Hebrews 6 case. He was impossible.

You notice that-he gives his full name there. That's so all posterity will remember the name. Judas, from the town of Carioth, son of Simon, the betrayer.

     Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?

             John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.

              “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32

 

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