John | Chapter 13 – Scripture Supply

III. 13:1-17:26 Private photos

a. 13:1-14:15 Prophecies (sixth truth 14:6 one direction)

John 13:1-17

“Loving service”

I. Intro.

II. Vs. 1-5 The love of service

III. Vs. 6-11 The receiving of service

IV. Vs. 12-17 The teaching of service

Intro.

Chapters 13-17 constitute Jesus fair well address to His disciple’s words that He wanted to impart to them before the cross and He starts it off not with words but rather with action. Jesus had entered Jerusalem on Sunday, and on Monday had cleansed the temple. Tuesday was a day of conflict as the religious leaders sought to trip Him up and get evidence to arrest Him. These events are recorded in Matthew 21-25. Wednesday was probably a day of rest, but on Thursday He met in the Upper Room with His disciples in order to observe Passover.

It seems every generation has realized that there is something that the world and this life just can’t live without and it’s LOVE. Soon after the death of President Kennedy in 1965 Burt Bacharach wrote the words to a song that that echoed this sentiment and it went like this, “What the world needs now is love, sweet love. It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of. What the world needs now is love, sweet love, no not just for some but for everyone. ” And in this section Jesus will define just what this love looks like. Hours away from the greatest demonstration of love the world will ever know Jesus called the fellows to a dinner and He told them that what they needed more of was “Love sweet love”, not more zeal, dedication or knowledge but LOVE. Skipping ahead Jesus will tell them in verses 34-35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” But before He teaches them He sets up a demonstration at the dinner table.

Vs. 1-5 The love of service

Vs. 1 John gives us the timing of the event as being before the Feast which would be the last meal He would share with His disciples. Jesus’ life was lived in anticipation of this hour He knew when it had not yet come (John 2:4) and He knew when His hour had come (12:23). From the human point of view, it meant suffering; but from the divine point of view, it meant glory.

In all the other gospel accounts the central part of this meal is the communion meal they will share, the Lord’s supper or the Eucharist but John does not even mention it and in it’s place John speaks of the washing of feet which he places some where during the Passover meal. The most important thing to look at in understanding this event isn’t so much what Jesus did as to ask the question why He did so and John tells us:

Vs. 1a “When Jesus knew His hour had come”: So the first thing John tells us is that there was a specific timing to the foot washing, it was a divinely appointed time. He was going to depart from this world and return to the Father and loving service to one another needed to be understood. With Jesus’ public ministry now concluded His hour as come and in around 24 hours Jesus will hang on the cross so He spends the final hours ministering to His disciples. The cross of Christ is not mentioned in this chapter but its shadow is over all His words:
It was the cross that indicated His hour had come
It was through the avenue of the cross that Jesus would depart from this world
It was through the instrument of the cross that Jesus demonstrated His love to the end

Vs.1b “Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end”: The second thing we see is that it was motivated out of His love. Within a few hours He would be hanging upon the cross for the sin of the world. In John 15:13 He will say, “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” and here He demonstrates this prior to the cross where sacrifice and service become intertwined. Notice that John who has had 70 years to reflect upon this says that “having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.” “Having loved”, suggests that John reflected upon the time spent with Jesus over the course of those years and peers into what at times perhaps he didn’t always identify as love. The summation of those three years of so many signs was that “they did not believe” but the summation upon John’s reflection was also that “He loved His own”. Friends you and I will have all eternity to reflect on how many times “He loved His own”, oh forgive us Lord for our blindness of your loving us! Loving His “own” doesn’t diminish the love Jesus has for all but it does suggest that those He has a relationship with can enter into that love in a way that the world can not. Finally we are told that He loved them to the end, that His love continued to the uttermost, though His life was ending His love didn’t. Amazing love especially in light of the fact that His disciples had given up on Him, stopped caring about Him and only cared about themselves. Oh how I am personally challenged by this as I believe that we can often act this way towards the people of the body of Christ as well. In every given situation our words and works will either cause us to stand up on a hill a hurl stones at folks or it will cause us to go down into the valley and help carry someone’s cross up the hill of Calvary (2 Sam 16:5-14). A lot of folks will say they love you, write it upon a piece of paper or send it in a card but won’t be willing to travel with you baring your burden as Paul admonished the Galatians 6:2 “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
Vs. 2 “And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him”: The NIV renders this “The evening meal was being served” and I believe that was most likely the case as verse 30 indicates that the supper was not ended but was rather in progress when Jesus stopped the meal and served His disciples. Jesus was always aware that there was an invisible kingdom that surrounds us powers of darkness that are at work in the sons of disobedience as Paul describes in Ephesians 2:2. Of further interest is that shortly before this Judas gave himself over to satan for the purpose of betrayal and based upon John 6:70 a year earlier Jesus had already recognized Judas was and adversary or devil. Apparently prior to the meal the chief priests and the scribes were seeking a way that they may kill Jesus when Judas went his way and conferred with them how he might betray Jesus to them. Some suggest that it may better translated that the devil had already made up his mind that Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, should betray him. Folks satan was looking for a man to betray Jesus, and had probably been “cultivating” Judas for a long time. But now the choice was made and Judas was his man.
Vs. 3a “Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands”: Our Lord knew he was the director, the one in charge of events. He was not, therefore, a victim of a “Passover plot.” He knew what he had to do, and he himself would see that it was carried out. In John 3:35 Jesus said “The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand”, so for 3 ½ years Jesus had known that the victory was already won. Friends what difference would it make in our attitude and action if we lived in the reality that all things have already been given into Jesus hands and it is those very hands that were pierced? Folks Jesus went into this situation as a victor, not as a victim. Now these words are an important context as Jesus is about to stoop in humble service to His disciples but in so doing He do it from weakness but rather from a position of victory as all authority.
Vs. 3b “and that He had come from God and was going to God”: Jesus knew exactly who he was. He knew his origin: He had a deep sense of his own identity. Those who know who they are, we say, are “secure.” They cannot be derailed, or turned aside from what they are determined to do. Friends the ability to live with the innate comprehension of what our purpose is a most powerful way to live. Paul wrote in Philip. 3:12-15 “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.” Personally it is this struggle that seems to cause me an anxious heart and the sad truth is the liberty from my anxiety is so near!

Vs. 4-5 It was customary that the lowest servant of the house would wash the feet of the guests as they came into the house, especially for a formal meal like this. For some reason, this didn’t happen when Jesus and the disciples came into the room. So they ate their meal with dirty feet and at sometime during the meal Jesus got up from the center of the table and began to wash their feet. So why didn’t any of the disciples wash feet? Well perhaps they would have been willing to do so for Jesus but they couldn’t wash His feet without being available to wash the others’ feet, and doing that would have been an admission that they weren’t the greatest so no one’s feet got washed! So washing His disciple’s feet in was taking on the position of the lowest of all servants. This was different than we might think:

First they wore sandals and walked roads of dirt so their feet would have been very dirty.
Second, this was a formal meal at a table that was a low to the ground like as coffee-table configured in a U-shaped table. Because of this the guests would not sit on chairs but lounge on pillows sit with their status at the table reflected by how close they were to the host or leader of the meal. They leaned on pillows, with their feet behind them which meant that the dirty feet would be close to the table during the meal.

Now realize that this act happens the evening before His death and He isn’t thinking of Himself He is thinking of His disciples. He just didn’t want to appear as a servant He gave himself completely to the work. According to the traditions regarding a relationship between a teacher and his disciples a teacher could never ask a follower to wash his feet and here we see a teacher washing the feet of His disciples.

“With all things in His hands” friends, He could still “lay aside His garments and take a towel” have you ever become preoccupied with your own stuff feeling that all things are in your hands and yet you notice that there is a need? Well here is what Jesus did He laid aside His garments and took a towel of servant hood. In Luke 22:24 as they entered the room we are told that “there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest” and by this action Jesus forever demonstrated true greatness. Did these fellows get the message? Well it appears so decades later, when Peter wrote to Christians about humility, he put it like this: “be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility” (1 Peter 5:5). Literally, that is “wrap the apron of humility around your self.”

Jesus had said to His disciples recorded in Matthew’s gospel, “All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18) and here in verse 3 “Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands.” What does He do all power and knowing that all things had been given into His hands? The power of the universe vested in Him? He goes over and He takes a towel and girds Himself. In the span of five days two feet washing are mentioned the first one took place at the house of Simon the leper where Mary took expensive fragrant oil and pored it over Jesus wiping what dripped of Him onto His feet with her hair. Now five days later Jesus who had been anointed by Mary is the one washes the dirt off of His disciple’s feet just prior to teaching them. Remember that Luke tells us that just as they were coming into the upper room they were arguing which one of them was the greatest and yet Jesus still calls them His own.

Oh dear friends aren’t you glad at that fact today that as you came in here you may have been bickering and fighting behaving in a way that suggested that you are the greatest but Jesus still calls you His own even if we don’t always act as if we belong to Him? Not only does He call us His own today we are told that He also loves us “without limit” as that is what the words “He loved them to the end”. So right off the bat this morning you have two great things to remember that even though these disciples came into that room with stinky feet and stingy hearts:

He calls you His own
He loves you without limit

May I just say that I rather think that our stinky feet and stingy heart is tied to our failure to realize that “He calls us His own” and “He loves us without limit”? How is such love possible? Well because Jesus knew that had given all things into His hands, and that He came from God and was going to God. Someone wan has well said that, “Only faith concerning the past and hope concerning the future and allow you to love in the present”. Did you notice that Jesus didn’t just wash their feet He dried them with the towel that He was girded with? You see Jesus doesn’t just wash you and then leave you to drip dry, He doesn’t leave you all wet He dries you off as well. What? Well that is what Paul indicates in Philip. 1:6 “that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ”.

Vs. 6-11 The receiving of service

Vs. 6-11 This simple act of humble service takes on a much larger meaning as Jesus equates it with His humble act of dyeing for us and washing our dirt with His blood. Notice what Jesus says here and that is that He has no part, no fellowship, and no relationship with those who His blood has not washed off the dirt of our sin. Having heard this Peter indicates that he wants this relationship and if it is foot washing Jesus wants He can have his hands and head as well. Interesting Peter even in his compliance is still trying to tell Jesus what to do. Sometimes others service towards us is a humbling thing for us to sit under other who wait on us. “Man’s humility does not begin with the giving of service; it begins with the readiness to receive it.”

Peter didn’t understand why His master would act as a slave to which Jesus “You won’t get it now but you will after My death burial and resurrection”. Strangely this comforts me as there are several things in my life right now that I know God is at work in but I don’t understand. Far too often in my heart I say, “Lord I don’t get it so you’re not going to get all of me” thus making my following Him conditional upon my comprehension. Folks we need to hear what Jesus is saying to Peter and that is “What I’m doing you don’t understand now, but you will know after this.” When Peter heard that his unwilling to surrender to Jesus’ sacrifice of service would mean that he wouldn’t experience a relationship he wanted a bath. Peter didn’t want anything to cause a separation in fellowship with his master.

Folks how about us are we willing to surrender head and foot to Jesus to make sure we don’t lose any of our intimate relationship with Him? Exodus 30:21 informs us that the hands and feet of the priest had to be washed before they were to offer the sacrifices. When the priest was first called they would under go a head to toe washing kind of like a baptism but it was only once and from then on out they just washed their feet and their hands. So to with us Jesus has already washed us in His blood now when ever we approach His alter all we need to do is confess our heart to Him to stay clean.

Vs. 12-17 The teaching of service

Vs. 12-17 Jesus now tells them that what He did and the way in which He did it is the mark of how His church is to function. Folks we are to humbly serve one another being involved in washing away the dirt and gunk the world places upon the path of life. The Christian life is not a theory to be observed in a pristine laboratory it is a long walk through muck and mire of this world which will require each of us to come alongside those whose steps have become cumbersome and impeded that we wash their feet with the water of His word. Jesus said nothing of where those disciples had been even though it was all over their feet instead He just took a wash basin and began cleaning. Spurgeon wrote on this section these powerful words, “If there is a position in the church where you will have to work hard and get no thanks, take it, and be glad. If you can serve in an area that few ever want and none appreciate, take it with great joy. There is no great rush after the lowest places; you will rob no one by seeking them.”

Why humble your self you may ask? Well because after humility comes exaltation, the way up my friend is always down. Do you know why so many people are depressed, well it’s because they are tired of failing at trying to climb above others only to find someone still Higher. My suggestion is stop climbing up above others and instead start doing what Paul said in Philip. 2:3 when he wrote “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.” Take a look at a fruit tree and you will see that the branch that bears the most fruit always bows the lowest, so if we want to be truly fruitful bow the lowest and serve others. Instead of throwing in the towel perhaps we out to grab the towel and put it around our waste and start serving others.

Faith makes all things possible, hope makes all things inevitable but love makes all things enjoyable. Friends Jesus demonstrates that love doesn’t point out stinky feet it sets aside it’s to wash them. If we aren’t willing to wash them our self’s then we ought to keep our moths shut about the odor. And notice whose feet Jesus washed:

A doubter in Thomas
A denier in Peter
A back stabber in Judas

In other words Jesus didn’t love the lovable He loved the unlovable. Every person lives near a bucket and we simply have a choice to wash our hands of the responsibility or take the bucket and wash some feet or if you will we will be stone chucker’s or cross bearers. At the very time Jesus was going to betrayed He chose to bear the cross and wash the feet of those who reject and betray Him.

John 13:18-35

“Behold what manor of love”

I. Intro.

II. Vs. 18-21 Rejecting love

III. Vs. 22-30 Reasoning love

IV. Vs. 31-35 Receiving love

Intro.

John spends 5 chapters on 1 day something no other gospel writer does. I have on my computer Fox News and I check in on a regular basis to see what is going on in the world and most of what I see is ugliness especially in man’s in humanity to man. Car bombings, a pregnant woman murdered and buried in a backyard just an overall hatred towards our fellow man being displayed everyday. I was driving behind a Subaru on 1^st street the other day when we stopped waiting for the light to change I began reading their bumper stickers, “Arms Are For Embracing”, “Ban the Bomb”, “Abolish Hate” I mean there were a lot of stickers that shared those sentiments on this car but underneath them in the center were two stickers that were a total contradiction to what was printed above as they read “Proud Bush-Hater On Board” and “Impeach Bush Torture Cheney”. I rather think that this person summed up the view of many folks today and that is “arms are for embracing” those that agree with us, “bombs are to be banned” accept to blow up those we dislike and “Hate is to be abolished” only upon those that we like and that like us. It is to this that Jesus address us today again upon the way of life by which the world will know that we are followers of Christ by our love for one another. No doubt upon reflection of this night the disciples could see by Jesus treatment of Judas that His words were far more then a sentiment to be placed upon a bumper sticker they were seen in His actions of love towards one who hated Him.

Vs. 18-21 Rejecting love

Vs. 18-19 In verse 18-21 Jesus reveals to His followers who His betrayer is and this shows us that Judas’ betrayal was no surprise to Jesus as early as a year earlier (6:70) Jesus had mentioned it to the fellows but although He knew He gave ample time for Judas to repent up too giving him the dipped piece of bread. Jesus foreknowledge did not derail man’s freewill but neither did man’s freewill detour Jesus plan or purpose. Jesus choice of the 12 included Judas with the knowledge that Judas would betray Him yet with the continual love and acceptance He gave all of them. Judas I believe becomes a forerunner of all of humanity that rejects Jesus’ love for them around it, aware of it but refusing to accept it.

Jesus quotes Psalm 41:9 when David wrote this psalm over a 1,000 years earlier and in using this psalm he was probably referring to his counselor Ahithophel, who turned traitor and joined Absalom’s rebellion in 2 Sam. 16. It is significant that both Judas and Ahithophel committed suicide by hanging themselves. The phrase “lifted up his heel” carries the idea to of kicking or tripping with the heal thus taking a cruel advantage over someone. In the Jewish culture it was seen as the height treachery to eat of the same bread and then against the one who gave you the piece of bread. Perhaps one of the reasons Jesus says this is over the concern that Judas’ betrayal would cause some of the others to be weakened in their faith as well.

Before we examine Jesus definition of Love in verse 34-35 John introduces us to two fellows that clearly thought of themselves as followers of Christ but failed to manifest Jesus’ type of love, Judas and Peter.

Vs. 18-26 Judas: Jesus is describing what was about to take place with Judas one of the men Jesus had chosen to love, demonstrated His love towards was going to act in a horrible way to Jesus without any reason or provocation. Further more Jesus continued to love him and treat him as a friend knowing that he was a traitor and that he wouldn’t turn. Some will say that Judas had no choice to be a traitor and that in being one fulfilled the prophecies, but Jesus didn’t need Judas to do betray Him to fulfill prophecy just as the rocks would cry out in worship too Him if people remained silent something else would have happened that would have fulfilled God’s word. No, Judas made a choice to first continually reject Jesus constant consistent love towards him and eventually betray Him. So Jesus says, “This was no “Passover plot” that escaped my attention, I’m telling you that it was written about by David 1,000 years before it happened so now I’m telling you I that I know about this betrayal be a friend so that when it happens you will believe that I am the Son of God.” Then Jesus says, “Pay very careful attention to what I’m about to tell you” that’s what the phrase “Most assuredly” means. Then Jesus tells them, (with Judas present) that the reason Judas is doing this is because he has never received Jesus love for him (verse 20). Judas who had been around the love of God for 3 ½ years saw Jesus lavish him with attention and care, was there for him during good times and bad; simply refused to submit his life to Jesus and refused to accept His unconditional unmerited love for him. In Mark 3:13-19 we are told That Jesus “appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons” Then Mark tells us the list of names and says that one of those had been given power was “Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him”. Again the evidence is that even though Jesus knew what Judas would do He treated him no different. Right at the beginning of this gospel John told us in1:12 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” Friends it is possible to go to church hear the word of God, be in a loving Christian home be involved in Christian service and still refuse to receive His love for you. So we see that the reason that Judas failed to manifest Jesus love was that he simply refused to receive it for himself. Judas difficulty was not that he didn’t believe in Jesus, I believe that he did but that his belief in Jesus wasn’t based upon who Jesus was it was based on who he wanted Jesus to be. In verse 21-26 Jesus announces this betrayal to the disciples and according to this account dipping that piece of bread and giving it to Judas caused Jesus to “boil in His spirit” not in anger but in heart ache for Judas. Do you know that God’s love is a jealous love that does not like to lose even the most hateful person? And as we are told in Matthews gospel each of them begin to wonder if the person Jesus is speaking of is themselves. Friends that is one of the clearest indications of spiritual health I know of as not one of them said, “It is Him! Oh, Jesus must be speaking of Judas.” In fact when compared to themselves they were quite surprised that it was Judas as far as they were concerned each of them thought of themselves as the worst sinner they had ever met. But even Judas asked “Is it I?” and we can see how self deceived he was. There was no “the devil made him do it” Judas invited satan in and all he had to do was say yes to Jesus and that would have meant no to satan.

Vs. 22-30 Reasoning love

Vs. 22-23 This disciple who is not named here is named in John 21:20-24 where we are told in verse 20 “the disciple whom Jesus loved” is none other than the “disciple who would not die” in verse 23 and we know him to be John. I think it is a wonderful thing that John refers to himself as the “disciple whom Jesus loved”. If you and I every time we were going through a difficult time would simply remind ourselves that we are the disciple Jesus loves how much more encouraged we would find ourselves? Oh what a difference it would make if in every situation we would but remind ourselves that we are the disciple that Jesus LOVES, not to the exclusion to the other disciples, not to a greater degree that the others. That we would begin each and every action and word with the reminder that we are His beloved. You see God loves us the “most” just not “more” than others. We all could get shirts that say, “God loves me the most!!!” In John 17:23 minuets after this Jesus will pray, “I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.”

We also see John “leaning on the breast” of Jesus seeing himself as loved by Jesus. Again that we would all lean on the heart of Jesus and rest in His love for us! As Judas was hating Jesus He was offering him a gesture of friendship that is how we are to treat those who hate us. The more I know Jesus the more I love Him and the more I know me the more I’m amazed that He loves me, which causes me to love Him more. What ever troubles your heart the best place to hear from Jesus about the things that concern you is leaning upon His heart towards you! Spurgeon wrote, “Jesus is speaking to each one of us, saying “Helping you is the least of the things I do for you. I have done far more and will continue to do so. Before the world began, I chose you, I made promises to you, I laid aside My glory for you, I gave up My life for you. Now if I did all this, I will surely help you now. Bring your empty pitcher and I will fill it up. Gather up all you wants and bring them here, your emptiness, your sorrows, your needs. The river of God is flowing; it is ready to supply your needs, go further in this assurance, the eternal God is your helper.” A year ago such words of His betrayal didn’t register a comment from His disciples but now as He glanced about the room each of them according to Matthew 26:22 became “exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, Lord, is it I?” No doubt their arguing of who was to be considered the greatest (Luke 22:24) added to this. It appears though that based upon verse 28-29 that none suspected Judas.

Vs. 24-25, 36-38 Peter: This is the only time the word “satan” is found in the gospel of John and it is in the context of Judas who rejected love for the acceptance of hate. Jesus admonishment for Judas to execute his desire quickly reveals Jesus assurance of victory; remember as we were told in verse 3 the Father had put all things in Jesus’ hands so He was perfectly able to defeat this plan of Judas and satan. Next we see that the reason why Peter failed which will be more clearly seen in verse 36-38 and we will take up next week. Simply put he failed to manifest Jesus love because he believed that natural love, the kind of love we have for those that we are close with will not fail. How do we know this? Well in the 21^st chapter Jesus will question Peter on his love, “Peter do you have God’s love for Me?” to which Peter confessed, “Lord you know that I have a natural friendship for You.” But a natural loving bond isn’t what Jesus is talking about in 13:34-35. That kind of love my friend will just, “Peter’s out”!!!! You see Peter failed because he took strength in his love for Jesus instead of Jesus love for him! So how do we come to grasp this love Jesus has for us so that we can manifest it to all? Well the first part comes naturally FAIL! What? Yep, just fail enough times which we will all do and you will come to appreciate that what’s the most important part of our faith isn’t to be found on what we do for Jesus but what He has done for us. The 2^nd part of this is that we will turn to the Holy Spirit to strengthen us in His love.

Vs. 26-30 Giving a piece of bread that you had dipped was a gesture of great love and by this demonstration and Jesus’ words Judas now knew that Jesus was aware of his plot to hand Him over to the religious leaders. Also I believe this was Jesus last attempt to get Judas to receive Jesus love for him but Judas chose not to receive Jesus love but rather to receive the devils’ hate. Had Judas responded to Jesus opportunity to love he would have be forgiven of his hatred and none would have known of it. At the foot washing Jesus reveal LOVE through humility and sacrifice, through the dipping of the bread he revealed LOVE of those who hate you. Friends both of these are forerunners of the cross where we see Jesus humility and sacrifice and demonstration of LOVE for those who hate Him.

The devil always works best in darkness and hatred though he wants to appear as an angel of light. Perhaps it was Jesus’ acts of love towards Judas that caused him to run out into the night in hatred as he never did want to simply receive the love of Jesus. Friends it is a humbling thing to simply receive the love of God when we know that such love is not given based upon our worthiness, His love is lavished upon us because HE is great not because we are. It was after Judas’ departure that He instituted the Lord’s Supper, something that Judas as an unbeliever certainly could not share. Judas was out in the night, controlled by satan while Jesus was sharing love and truth with His the rest of the disciples. What a contrast!

Vs. 31-35 Receiving love

Vs. 31-33 Even though Judas left in darkness Jesus said that this was the time of the brightness of God’s glory. Five times in two verses Jesus uses the word “glorified or glorify” it is clear that Jesus didn’t see the cross as an instrument of defeat and humility but rather as an instrument of victory and glory. Notice that Jesus does not offer this new commandment until after Judas has left and He starts with by saying that Judas departure marks His and the Father’s glorification immediately, which is a reference to he cross.

This is the first time Jesus called His disciples “little children” it’s an intimate word that indicates that He viewed them as His family, His offspring, many commentators believe it is right here at theses words that Jesus began to institute the Lord’s supper. At this same moment through out the land father’s were sitting down at tables with their families inviting questions from their children about the Passover celebration and traditionally the youngest child was given the place to ask the father, “Papa, what do these things mean?”. So perhaps in an anticipation of this Jesus says, “Little children, this is what all this means”. “What does the Passover mean, Papa?” Well says Jesus, “It means I’m going to be leaving you now as I’m the true Passover Lamb that takes away the sin of the world”. And in 12 hours from this time He will be on the cross and in 20 hours He will be laid in a tomb.

Vs. 34-35 His words concerning their inability to follow Him now must have hit them like a tone of bricks as they had left everything and everyone to follow Him and now He tells them “you can’t come right now”. But Jesus will explain to them the reason for the delay as He will start with instructions on how the world will know that they are followers of His, LOVE. Jesus speaks of a love for one another that is qualified by the way He has loved us, where as the former commandment is that we love our neighbor as ourselves. This is not a love that is called out by the qualities that we appreciate; no this is a love that is exercised without regards to whom it is lavished upon. The word for “new” here does not mean new in the since of never seen or known prior but rather “new” in the sense of freshness in other words the commandment isn’t new but the way it is to be put into practice is fresh. In Matthew 5: 43-44 Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” and this is a quotation from Lev. 19:18. Jesus commandment went far beyond what had been understood to treating everyone especially the body of Christ as better than ourselves.

Jesus’ command gives us the frequency as well as the depth and object of our affections as He says:

“Love”: Which is in the present tense in the Greek thus it tells us that we are to “keep on loving one another”.
“One another”: Informs us that the object of our consistent love is each other.
“As I have loved you”: Tells us the degree or depth of this love and it is without limit (verse 1). Thus the commandment may have not been new but the extent of it and the manor of it was fresh. Jesus set His own example of love as the measure and manor of love.

Think what would happed to the history of the world if we started apply this commandment to our live? Why marriages would be changed, families overhauled no more church splits, wars would never start. But how do we love unloving people? How do I get beyond the obstacle of my cynical distrust of people where I constantly battle my long ledger account of their wrongs while ignoring my own faults and failures? Well Jesus tells us how, “As I have loved you, that you also love one another”. By this we learn three very important things:

First we learn that such love is not based upon merit: He has not loved us because we deserve to be loved, or have earned it by just being lovable.
Secondly, we understand by Jesus’ words that such love is a choice in which we sacrifice our rights for others need to be loved. We are making a choice to say that others need for love is greater that my need to be understood, accepted, appreciated and yes even loved in return.
Finally, there is a cause and effect we are only able to love one another if first we have received His love towards us, in fact the Greek has it “since I’ve loved you, you also love one another”. Simply put we aren’t manufacturing this love we are only giving what we have received from Jesus to others.

Folks Jesus love will be the measure, the cause and the identifying mark of authentic love from him. Practically speaking then that means this love will have three characteristics:

First, it will be without prejudice with respect to people: Sense His love is shed aboard to all so will ours even towards those that aren’t nice towards us. It goes out to people who need love regardless of what they are 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, it will be expressed in deeds, not just words: It will not be mere talk about love, sing love songs it will show its self by expression in deeds that it will not advertise afterward. Jesus said it this was in Matthew 25:35-36 “for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.”
Thirdly, it is a love without end: It is not for only a season, for a time it has no limit as we saw last week in the words verse 1 “He loved them without limit”. This love never gives up on them and instead of throwing in the towel wraps the towel around the waste and washes the feet of even a Judas.

Someone has well said that the only way can operate this way is if we stay next His love ourselves, then like a piece of steel next to a magnet we tool will become a magnet of His love attracting folks to stick to Jesus. Rather than violent, angry, injurious people who strike back at everyone who comes in their path they have become tender, loving, gentle people, changed by the love of Christ. That is what Jesus means by “as I have loved you.”

John 13:36-14:4

“A place for you”

I. Intro.

II. Vs. 36-38 You can count on me

III. Vs. 1-4 A home for the homeless

Intro.

Here were these fellows who had left everything to follow Jesus, family, friend’s occupations they were all making following Jesus a priority surely everything would go their way sense they were walking the right road but suddenly every thing is falling in on them. I had a similar experience on Thursday morning as I walked into the sanctuary only to find part of the roof had come down over the stage. I rather think many of us have had that experience in our lives when it feels as though the roof has come down on our stage. No doubt these disciples could relate and what we are given is Jesus’ words to those whose roofs have are coming down. So what does Jesus say to encourage these fellows? Well He speaks about heaven as their home. Did you know that the Bible speaks of heaven as a reality 557 times why it’s a fundamental truth in the scriptures?

According to the Washington Post 88% of Americans believe in a literal place called heaven and aren’t you glad they do? I mean can you imaging what Americans would be like if they didn’t? Why our society would be spending millions on trying to stay young, we would be obsessed with cosmetics, deities, anti wrinkle creams and plastic surgery just to appear to be younger than we are. A society that didn’t believe in a literal heaven would see crime rates soar off the charts because there would be a belief in only the hear and now and no concern over eternal consequences. A society that didn’t believe in a literal heaven would be consumed with entertainment, amassing fortunes. Hey, wait a minute that is our society isn’t it? That my friend is because though our society intellectually believes in a literal heaven they don’t believe heaven is a reality! And it may surprise us a bit but neither did the disciples.

Vs. 36-38 You can count on me

Vs. 36-38 Peter’s response is based upon Jesus’ words in 33 where He said, “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.” It seems as though the words “You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’ so now I say to you” caused Peter to think his devotion towards the Lord was certainly stronger than that of the Jews and superior to what the other disciples had as well.

From 13:36-14:24 we have recorded four questions from Jesus disciples, (Peter, Thomas, Philip and Judas not Iscariot) that indicate that peter was not alone in this view as all of the disciples seem to see heaven and life from a earthly perspective yet for over six months Jesus had been speaking of heaven.

Peter asked, “Lord where you are going”
Thomas asked, “Lord we do not know where you are going”
Philip asked, “Lord show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us”
Judas asked, “Lord how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world”.

But to be painfully honest they aren’t alone in looking at Jesus through the lenses of our earthly existence. Far too many professing Christians few Christianity as an accessory to their lives and if the accessory doesn’t compliment the outfit (i.e. personal agenda) then they toss it. We have evidence of this in Peter recorded here as Peter seems more concerned about what Jesus tells them they can not do instead of being concerned about what He has just told them they must do to be with Him in verse 34-35. Jesus has just told them a commandment by which they will be know as His followers and all Peter can say is “What do you mean we can’t come with You Jesus as you told the Jews?” Luke 22:31-34 fills us in a little more on verse 37-38 where we are told that “The Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.” Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.”

Friends let me share with you a sure fire way to know if you are in the wrong, “If you find your self arguing with the Lord, you’re wrong!” Now you may say, “Well I’ve never argued with the Lord, pastor!” Really? Have you ever thought that your plan, your way was better than the way He has taken you through? You see Peter thought he knew himself better than the Lord knew him and he thought that his plans were better than the Lord, it is here that I can really relate to Peter. If we trace Peter’s steps after his assertion that he would never forsake the Lord we see:

He argued with the Lord
He slept in the garden when he was suppose to be praying
Next we see him following a far off at Jesus’ arrest
Finally we see this led to his denial

Folks I believe we can see a progression of failure in Peter’s behavior that we can avoid: Arguing with the Lord leads to a lack of prayer which causes us to following Him a far off which leads to denial. “You can count on me Lord”, said Peter. But Jesus tells him that he will fail because he wouldn’t count on Jesus. Friends, that is always the root of our failure thinking that we can count on ourselves to pull us through but the truth is we can only count on Jesus to pull us through.

Jesus says, “You can not follow me yet in victory, in glory but you will one day!” To which Peter argued, “If it is a matter of dying I’m ready, I’ll lay down my life for you.” Peter had not yet understood of Jesus’ sacrifice and what was in view was his willingness to sacrifice. As wonderful as Peter’s words and his devotion are they were based upon emotion which made this nothing more than commotion. It is this emotion based boast that Jesus challenges by saying, “Will you lay down you life for My sake?” Friends there are two things that challenge me in Jesus correction:

First, I’m challenged by these words as correcting me with regards to any attitude within myself as my security or my sense of strength. I’m reminded by Paul’s words in 1 Cor. 10:12 “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” Paul went on to say in 2 Cor. 12:10 “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Folk’s it is the adverse situations and circumstances that remind us that our boasting with regards to anything coming from us is foolish that is why Paul told the Galatians in 6:14 that “God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”
Secondly, Jesus’ words challenge me with the reality that giving up my physical life to be with Him instantly in eternity is much easier thing to do when compared to dying to my self centered flesh that I may live for Him now! Friends the Lord has called us to lay down our former ways of thinking and acting that He may live through us. Paul wrote of this sacrifice in Galatians 2:20 when he said, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

Now in light of those two observations allow me to insert Jesus question to Peter, “Will you lay down you life for My sake?” It is this same Peter who claimed through his emotion that he was willing to die for Jesus we will see in a few hours unwilling to be laughed at and made fun of by a servant girl, which proves the point.

Chapter 4

Vs. 1-4 A home for the homeless

Vs. 1 There is no chapter break from 13:38 – 14:1 and in light of their failure Jesus encourages them with hope. Jesus words to Peter were, “I know the worst that is in you Peter but if you trust in Me and not in yourself I’ll take you to heights you never imagined.” This section opens and closes with our Lord’s loving admonition, “Let not your heart be troubled” (John 14:1, 27). We are not surprised that the Apostles were troubled. After all, Jesus had announced that one of them was a traitor, and then He warned Peter that he was going to deny his Lord three times and Jesus followed that by saying He was going to leave them (John 13:33). The truth is a self confident heart will eventually lead us to a troubled heart.

Jesus opening words “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me”, could be called the, “Manual for Stress Management, a remedy for anxious and troubled hearts.” What is even more comforting in Jesus’ words is the context that they come right after the revelation Jesus spoke of concerning Peter’s denial. So right after Jesus speaking of Peter’s failure Jesus tells Peter that He is bigger than even his failure. Notice that Jesus uses the word “your” which means that He wasn’t just referring to Peter’s failures He was including all of the disciples and I rather think mine and yours as well. Friends these words of Jesus were being said to fellows whose world’s were coming apart, now that ought to bring some hope to those of us whose world’s are coming apart even if we have had a hand in tearing them apart. Some folk’s seem to subscribe to the stoic philosophy that we are never to be anxious, never worried or in fear but I’m of the opinion that it’s not if I’m going to be anxious but rather what I do with my anxiety when it’s there. Paul wrote to the Philippians’ in 4:6 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God”. Peter would later write in 1 Peter 5:7 “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” The truth is we may be able to prevent stress or even feel stress but we can give it to the Lord so that we are not overcome by it. So how do we do that?

“You believe in God, believe also in Me”: Jesus “keep on believing in the father and the Son”. Our seeking feeling is because we have momentarily taken our eyes off the Lord and onto our situation, so Jesus reminds that “Don’t look down, look up!” The psalmist wrote in Psalm 121:1-2 “I will lift up my eyes to the hills– from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” “You’ve found relief form anxiety in the promises of God and they had found strength and help from those passages in times of pressure. But now he gives them new truth which goes beyond anything in the Old Testament. “I want you to believe this too,” Jesus says.

Vs. 2-3 Then He gives them three truths that believing will comfort their hearts during this season of uncertainty:

Vs. 2 “I go to prepare a place for you”: First Jesus promises that His departure is in preparation for something far greater. The word “mansions” is the word used for “resting place” so this literally reads “In My Father’s house are many resting places”. No need to be troubled dear ones this life will soon be over and you will be staying with Jesus and the Father at His house, your new home. Jesus has been adding on to His Fathers place for over 2000 years. I often wonder if many of our trials aren’t allowed to come into our lives to cause to realize that we are getting far to attached to things in this life and disregarding what awaits us. Peter had been perplexed at the thought of not being able to follow Jesus and here Jesus comforts him by saying that He is leaving to prepare a place for them where there will never again be a separation. These words spoken by Jesus were words a groom would say to his bride upon their separation before their marriage as he would be adding onto his father’s house where they would live together. They were meant to comfort the bride with hope knowing that what awaited her was her husband in a new life of two becoming one. The phrase “receive you to myself” is literally “I will take you along to our home!” Finally Jesus says that, “where I am, there you may be also” in other words Jesus is saying to us “I’m doing all of this so that we can always be together”.
Vs. 3a “I will come again and receive you to Myself”: Second Jesus promises that His departure is only temporary. Peter’s failure was that he believed in himself Jesus antidote was keep believing in the Father and the Son. Friends, you and I will fail the Lord many times but don’t let your heart be troubled. Why? Because He will never fail you my friend! So when that soldier asked Peter if he too was one of Jesus’ disciples and he swore he didn’t know Jesus and at that very moment Jesus looked at him it wasn’t an “I told you so” look it was an “I still love you” look! How do we know? Well when Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to the women, He said, “Go tell the disciples and Peter that I have risen.” And Peter was one of the first ones that Jesus appeared. On the day of His resurrection, He appeared to Peter. When the disciples came back from Emmaus and met the other disciples, they said, The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to the women and to Peter! The Lord had that personal little talk with Peter afterwards. And then of course, John gives us great insight into the talk at the sea of Galilee with Peter when Jesus sort of re-commissioned him and put him back in the business up there at the sea of Galilee.
Vs. 3b “that where I am, there you may be also”: Finally, Jesus promises that though His departure is temporary His return is everlasting. Someone has well said, “You don’t go to heaven to find Christ. You go to Christ to find heaven.” Peter was going to fail the fellows were going to scatter but Jesus said not to worry guy’s I still have a place for you and it’s with Me in our Father’s house. The antidote to a troubled heart is trusting in Jesus’ words! You see you only prepare a place for someone if you are certain of their arrival thus the words, “If it were not so, I would have told you”. Friends better than the “mansion” of our dwelling is the words “that where I am, you may be also”. Now listen up because there is a twofold work of Jesus going on as we speak you see He is in heaven preparing a place for us, and at the same time He is at work in us preparing us for that place!

So how did Jesus calm their troubled hearts? Well by reminding them that they would one day be with Him in heaven (My Father’s house). Notice the specific personal words of Jesus as He promises them that He is going to prepare a place for “YOU”. He is custom designing a place where everything will be just as we like it and the best part is that He will be right there with us. Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 15:19 “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.” And in Col. 3:1-4 Paul wrote “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” The truth is that if a person is not a believer this is as good as it gets ah but for the believer in Christ my friend this is as worse as it gets! What does complaining about the lack of time and concern over our environment have in common? Well both suggest that we are not designed time space and matter. Birds don’t fuss about flying, fish don’t complain about the water, earth worms don’t protest the dirt but man kind is constantly in bunch over our dwelling place and my theory is that we aren’t built for here and now we are designed for the here after! The poet Robert Frost said that home is the place that, when you arrive there, they have to take you in. Jesus earthly occupation was a master carpenter and in heaven is building a place for us to be with our Master. So we see Jesus is building His church on earth and a home for that church in heaven. When John tried to describe heaven, he ran out of things to describe it so he finally listed the things that would not be there: death, sorrow, crying, pain, night, etc. Friends there is a misconception that Jesus teaches us the way to heaven but the truth is He is the way. How does Jesus’ assurance of going home to heaven help to calm our troubled hearts? Well “Who mind’s the journey, when the road leads us home?” Paul said it this way in Romans 8:18 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”