Old Testament Reading: Leviticus 19:13–18

“You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning. You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the Lord. You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord. You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.” (Leviticus 19:13–18, ESV)

New Testament Reading: John 13:21-38

“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 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?’ 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 moneybag, 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 immediately went out. And it was night. When he had gone out, Jesus said, ‘Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’ Simon Peter said to him, ‘Lord, where are you going?’ Jesus answered him, ‘Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.’ Peter said to him, ‘Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.’ Jesus answered, ‘Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.’” (John 13:21–38, ESV)

Introduction

Have you ever been in a room filled with tension? You can feel it, can’t you? It’s amazing how emotionally connected we can be with one another. You can feel the tension in the air when it is present.

As I think about the celebration of the Passover feast that John 13:21-38 describes, I imagine a room filled with tension. I picture Jesus and his disciples with faces that are serious and somber. John tells us that “after saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit…” (John 13:21, ESV) We might ask, how did John know that about Jesus’ spirit? For one, he was there. He was an eye witness to these things. And two, Jesus must have been visibly troubled. We should remember that Jesus, though he was divine, was also fully human. He experienced the full range of human emotions, yet without sin. He was troubled in his spirit.

And why was he so troubled? First of all, we should remember that he knew of the suffering that he would soon endure. His hour had come. He knew that he would suffer and die. This was troubling to him, and understandably so. But there is something more specific mentioned in this text: he knew that he would be betrayed by one of the twelve. Again, though it is true that Jesus was Immanuel – God with us, we should remember that he was fully human. Just as you would be deeply troubled by the betrayal of a close friend, so too Jesus was troubled, yet without sin.

Judas Identified – Notice the Darkness that Can Exist Even Within the Visible Church of God

It is here in the text before us that Jesus specifically identifies Judas as the one who will betray him. And it is with this revelation that we are reminded of the darkness that can exist even within the visible church of God.

Again, Jesus brings up the fact that one of his own disciples would betray him: “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” (John 13:21, ESV) The words, “truly, truly”, should grab the attention. Jesus was saying, listen up and pay attention! What I am about to say is important and will surely come to pass! One of you will hand me over to my enemies. That is what the word “betray” means – to hand a person over.

This must have increased the tension already present in the room by tenfold. Now all of the disciples are thinking to themselves, who is it? Is he talking about me? Peter, being the leader of the group, motioned to “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (remember, that is the way that John refers to himself in his Gospel) urging him to ask who it would be.

Apparently, John was “reclining at table with Jesus”. The Greek is more descriptive than the English. John was, in fact, reclining against Jesus’ bosom, or chest.  We might see this as strange in our culture, but this is how men would interact in Jesus’ day. Even today it is not uncommon for men in other cultures to show affection for one another through physical touch. In Turkey, for example, I am told that men might hold hands as they walk down the street as a display of their friendship. Perhaps we are the strange ones! Have you ever thought of that?

At any rate, John was reclining at table with Jesus and he leaned back and asked the question, “Lord, who is it?” (John 13:25, ESV) Who is the one who will betray you? “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.’” (John 13:26–27, ESV)

Some have imagined that there was something magical or mystical about the “morsel” that Jesus gave to Judas as if somehow the morsel facilitated the entrance of Satan into Judas. The texts makes no such point. Rather, we should probably view the giving of the “morsel” as the last act of kindness from Jesus to Judas. The morsel was a probably a choice morsel.  Perhaps it was the kindness that drove him away!

Notice that Jesus makes this known only to John. The other disciples are still wondering who it will be. In fact they do not suspect Judas in the least.  When Jesus says to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly” (John 13:27, ESV), they do not think to themselves, Judas is the betrayer! No, they assume that “because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, ‘Buy what we need for the feast,’ or that he should give something to the poor.” (John 13:29, ESV) The giving of alms to the poor was a common practice on the night of Passover. Apparently, Judas had them all fooled.

The point is this, though. Judas knew his own heart. More than that, Jesus knew Judas’ heart. And now John was aware of Judas’ heart! In the past Jesus had made it know that one of them was a devil from the start. In John 6:70, for example, “Jesus answered them, ‘Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil’” – but here he is specific. Jesus revealed it to John so that John would know that he really knew who his betrayer was ahead of time.

Why is this important? It is important because John’s has made much of the doctrines of election, particular redemption, effectual calling, and preservation in his Gospel.

Concerning election, he has made it clear that God the Father gave the Son certain people to save from before the foundation of the earth. That was the Son’s mission – to come and to save those given to him by the Father.

Concerning particular redemption, John’s Gospel makes it clear that he came to lay down his life for his sheep. In John 10:15 Jesus says,  “I lay down my life for the sheep.” He came to die for the one’s that the Father had given to him. He came to atone for the sins of his sheep, and not the others. He payed for the sins of the individuals given to him by the Father from throughout the whole world, Jew and Gentile alike.

Concerning effectual calling, John’s Gospel also makes it clear that it is these that Father brings to repentance by the power of the Holy Spirit. John 10:27: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27, ESV)

And not only will Christ’s sheep follow him without fail, but they will also be preserved.  Again, John 10:27 and following: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:27–30, ESV) This is the doctrine of the preservation of the saints.

The issue with Judas has the potential of confusing us concerning all of this. We might wonder, if it is true that some were give to the Son by the Father that they be saved; and if it is true that Christ died for their sins; that it is they who hear the voice of God in Christ Jesus and come to to faith in him, having been predestined to do so from all eternity; and if it is true that Jesus has accomplished this mission given to him by the Father to save all who were given to him, then what about Judas? What about him? He seems to have been lost!

I know that I have made this point before, but it is worth making again – it is obviously important to John because he brings it up time and again in his Gospel – Jesus did not loose Judas! Judas did not slip through Jesus’ fingers. He did not jump out of Jesus’ hand, if you will. No, Judas betrayed Jesus because he never belonged to Jesus from the heart. He was “a devil” all along (John 6:70).

Jesus had made it clear that one of the twelve was a devil. Here he specifies Judas and tells John about it so that there might be a witness to these things. He told all of the disciples that there would be a betrayer, and he told John that it would be Judas, so that, according to 13:19, “when it does take place you may believe that I am he.” (John 13:19, ESV)

The truth illustrated by Jesus’ prediction of Judas’ betrayal is an important truth for the church to understand. Jesus is Lord of the church. He is sovereign over all things, but especially the church. He is building his church as he effectively brings the elect to salvation through the proclamation of the gospel, by the power of the Holy Spirit. He preserves his people. We expect that the church will be assaulted from without! But it can be difficult for the Christian to comprehend the assaults that come against the church from within. The assaults from within tend to shake us more than the pressures that we experience from the world around us. But we are reminded by the story of Judas that Christ is Lord of the church. He is able to build and sustain the church in the face of external and internal threats. He knows who are his. He is not surprised by the apostates. He is not caught off guard by the Judas’ of the world. In eternity the church will be pure! But in this age the visible church will be a mixture of sheep and goats, wheat and tares. The goats and weeds may surprise us, but they do not surprise Christ. The Judas’ of the world may disrupt us and grieve our hearts, but they will not thwart the purposes of God. “I will build my church [Jesus says], and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18, ESV)

This, I think, is the purpose of the Judas story. We are to take comfort in the fact that Christ reigns supreme over his his church as the omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient Lord of all.  It is true that unthinkable darkness sometimes resides with the visible church of God, but Christ is sovereign still.

Notice that after Judas took the morsel from Jesus and went out to do his dastardly deed, John inserts a little comment – a literary flourish, we might say. He simply remarks in verse 30, “And it was night.” That is was literally nighttime is undoubtably true. But why did John take the time to say this? What difference does it make that it was nighttime?

Think of the theme of light and darkness in John’s Gospel. Jesus is “the light of the world”. Men and women are exhorted to “walk in the light” as they have opportunity. Jesus tells his disciples that they must continue doing the work of the Father “while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.” (John 9:4, ESV) This theme of light and darkness, day and night permeates John’s Gospel. And now John simply tells us that “it was night.” Everything is cloaked in darkness. Judas has decisively rejected the light and has walked out into the abyss. And the time for ministry in the world has also come to an end. No more signs will be preformed; no longer will truth be proclaimed to the world – this is the hour of Jesus’ suffering (ironically, it will also be the hour of his glory). The words, “and it was night”, are more than historical fact. They signal a major transition in the ministry of Christ and in John’s Gospel from daytime to darkness.

Peter’s Denial Predicted – Notice the Darkness that Can Reside Even Within the Heart of a True Christian

But notice that Judas is not the only one touched by darkness in this text. Jesus utters predictions concerning two of his followers. Judas would betray Jesus, but Peter, we are told, would deny him three times over.  We are reminded here that darkness can reside even within the heart of a true Christian.

When Peter impulsively requested that Jesus wash, not only his feet, but also his hands and his head (John 13:9), what did Jesus say to him? “Jesus said…, ‘The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” (John 13:10, ESV) Peter was declared to be clean by Jesus. Judas was the unclean one. Peter was clean and did not need to bathed; only his feet needed to be washed.

But in verse 38 Jesus says to Peter, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.” (John 13:38, ESV) Notice that the same “truly, truly” used to announce Judas’ betrayal of Christ was also used to announce Peter’s threefold denial of Christ.

I can’t decide which is more shocking? Is it the fact that a man could walk with Jesus for three years and then betray him to his enemies, or that the leader of the band – the one who was pronounced clean – would deny his Lord three times in the night of his suffering?

Brothers and sisters, do you see that it is possible for darkness to win even within the heart of a true Christian? Peter was a true Christian – he was clean – and yet he would stumble in a serious way.

Let us for a brief moment consider what this passage has to say about Peter.

After Judas had left the room Jesus began to speak in verse 31,saying, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once…” Isn’t it interesting the way that Jesus speaks of his hour of suffering? It would be through this dark hour that the Son of Man would be glorified. The Father would also be glorified by the Son, and the Son would be glorified by the Father at once. When you and I think of the suffering of Christ and the cross of Christ we might be tempted to see only darkness. Jesus spoke of it as the hour of his glory. It was the hour of glory because it was through the cross that he would accomplish the will of the Father. It was the hour of glory because it was there that the love and justice of God would be most fully displayed. It was the hour of glory because it was through the cross that Christ won the victory over sin and death and Satan. The suffering of Christ was cloaked in darkness given the evil that enveloped him, but it was out of that gloomy and chaotic darkness – it was out of that deep and ominous abyss – that the glory of God in Christ Jesus shone forth.

In verse 33 Jesus said, “Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’” (John 13:33, ESV) More was said after this (and we will come back to those words in a moment), but notice that it is the words of verse 33 that Peter latched on to.

Look down to verse 36: “Simon Peter said to him, ‘Lord, where are you going?’ “ Peter was still confused about where Jesus intended to go. “Jesus answered him, ‘Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.’” (John 13:36, ESV) Jesus, of course spoke of his death, his resurrection, and his assent to the right hand of the Father. Peter would not follow him right away, but he would eventually follow. Evidently Peter started to get the gist of it, saying, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” (John 13:37, ESV)

Peter is bold with his words, isn’t he? He talks a big talk. And it is was to this that Jesus responded, saying, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.” (John 13:38, ESV)

It appears that Peter needed to be humbled. Perhaps he was prideful. It was not, Thy will be done! It was not, Lord sustain me! It was, I will lay down my life for you! Evidently he was not a strong on the inside as he portrayed on the outside.

The thing I want you to notice is that Judas and Peter are set before us side by side. “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me…” (John 13:21, ESV), and, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.” (John 13:38, ESV)

The sin of Judas and the sin of Peter are both serious indeed. But there is a difference between the two. Judas would betray Jesus and never return. Peter would deny Jesus and then repent. Judas, it would seem, betrayed Jesus acting out of a heart of pure darkness. Peter would deny Jesus in a moment of weakness. That darkness resided within his heart is undeniable, but he was of the light. Peter stumbled; Judas fell.

But as you read of Jesus’ prediction concerning these two men – the betrayal of Judas and the denial of Peter – are you not left with the impression that the church of Christ will be characterized by struggle. Sin will threaten the church. The church will struggle with sin.

There will be some who, although they identify with Christ and his people, are really not of Christ – they do not truly belong to him. The church will be threatened from within. Darkness will exist even within the visible church of God. Goats will wander amongst the sheep. Weeds will spring up among the wheat.

And concerning those who do truly belong to Christ, even they will struggle with sin – serious sin. They may be of the light, and they may be clean, but darkness threatens. The filth of the flesh lingers even within those who belong to Christ truly.

It is important for us to recognize these things. How common it is to hear, even those who call themselves Christians, complain saying, I will not join myself to the church because it is filled with hypocrites! Two things need to be said. One, it should be acknowledged that there are some churches that have been so overrun with sin and hypocrisy that Christ threatens to remove their lamp-stand. Sometimes the complaint squares with reality. But more often than not those who say I will not join myself to the church because of the sin within it have misunderstood the nature of Christ’s church. Perhaps they are expecting to much, in other words. Perhaps they expecting the church to be in the here and now what it will only be in eternity.

Never do the scriptures claim that Christ’s church will be pure. Christ’s church will go on struggling against sin until the Lord returns and makes all things new. Oh, how we long for that day when there will be no more sin. But until that day we should expect a battle – a battle with those who claim to be Christ’s and are not; and a battle within our own hearts as we are tempted to deny our Lord as the things of this world press in upon us.

This is not to say that we should excuse sin. But it is to say that we shouldn’t be surprised by it. We should not loose heart, or faith, when we see it rear its ugly head within the church of God. Christ is Lord of the church, at the church can be a mess at times.

I’ve been doing ministry for some time now. One of the things you learn early on in ministry is that ministry is messy. Christians – true Christians – struggle with sin. The Christian life is far from a walk in the park! It’s a battle! It’s marked by struggle. Struggles without and struggles within. Listen to how Paul described his time in Macedonia:  “For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within.” (2 Corinthians 7:5, ESV).

One of the worst things we can do is to gather with the church thinking, this here is an utterly pure church; Or these people are utterly pure people. There is no such thing! A church like that cannot be found in all the earth. And if you ever hear a church claims such a thing, run! Times of humiliation are not far off.  We who are in Christ have been cleansed. We have been made pure by the blood of Christ. And yes, we are being conformed into the image of Christ. But that, brothers and sisters, is a process. And it is a process marked by struggle.

So how are to walk with Christ between his first and second comings given the sinful tendencies of his people? The temptation is to say, I will walk alone! But what does Christ command?

The Key to Living in Christian Community Tainted by Sin is to Love One Another

Verse 34: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”” (John 13:34–35, ESV)

The key to living in Christian community tainted by sin is to love one another.

Brothers and sisters, do you think it is a coincidence that Jesus issued this command here with all of this going on? One of you will betray me. Peter, you, the leader, will deny me, not once, but three times before the rooster crows. Everything is falling to pieces, it would seem. The disciples are now suspicious of one another. They are wondering, who can I trust? Who can I rely upon? It is into this setting that Christ utters the words, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another…” How is the church to deal with the threats from without and the threats from within? We are to love one another!

Christ calls this a “new commandment”. It’s interesting that the command is not really “new” in the sense that nothing like it had been said before. Leviticus 19:18 says, “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.” (Leviticus 19:18, ESV)

It is “new” in the sense that the love we are to have for one another has now been modeled for us by Jesus Christ. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” (John 13:34, ESV) The love we are to have for one another has been displayed. This changes everything! When a brother or sister sins against you and you think to yourself, should I hold a grudge, or should I forgive?, we are to think of Christ’s love for us. Or when a brother or sister is in need and you think to yourself, is he or she worthy of my help?, we are to of Christ’s love for us. Or when we are tempted to slander a brother, or take to advantage of him, are we not to set our eyes upon Christ and to consider the way that he loved us? He has forgiven us so much. He has loved us and served us to the full. Brothers and sisters, how could we not love one another in this way, given the way that Christ has loved us?

Peter puts it this way: “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8, ESV)

John reiterates this principle in his letter, saying, “Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” (1 John 2:9–11, ESV)

The “new” commandment is also new in that Holy Spirit has been poured out enabling us to keep it from the heart. Paul says,“But the fruit of the Spirit is love…” (Galatians 5:22, ESV) Christ has given us an example that we are to follow, but he has also given us the Spirit in order to enable to keep that commandment from the heart.

The end result should be that the church, despite all of it’s messiness, would be known for it’s love. When Jesus wept for Lazarus the Jew’s said, “See how he loved him!” (John 11:36, ESV) The non-believing world ought to look in upon us saying, see how those Christians love one another! Look at how they forgive! Look at how they care! Look at how they provide for those among them who are in need! “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another”, Jesus says.

Conclusion 

Brothers and sisters, in the time between Christ’s first and second coming the church will indeed struggle with sin. There will be some who identify with the visible church who do not really belong to Christ. And even those who belong to Christ will struggle with sin in their own hearts. We are a foreign people, but we are also a messy people. But we are to go on in Christ loving one another.

Old Testament Reading: Ezekiel 34:23–24 

“And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the Lord; I have spoken.” (Ezekiel 34:23–24, ESV)

New Testament Reading: John 13:1-20

“Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, do you wash my feet?’ Jesus answered him, ‘What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.’ Peter said to him, ‘You shall never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered him, ‘If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.’ Simon Peter said to him, ‘Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!’ Jesus said to him, ‘The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, 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.’ When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, ‘Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 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.’ I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.’” (John 13:1–20, ESV)

Introduction

John13:1 introduces a new section in the Gospel of John. Chapters 11 and 12 built up to the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem and to Jesus’ interaction with the multitudes who had welcomed him with the words, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!’” (John 12:13, ESV)

Here in chapter 13 we see the focus shift to the interaction between Jesus and his disciples. Even a quick look at chapters 13-17 reveals that they are focused upon Jesus’ interaction with his disciples from the time of the celebration of the Passover feast to his betrayal and arrest in the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus had much to say to his disciples in those hours.

13:1 introduces this beautiful, and wonderfully intimate, section by saying, “Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” (John 13:1, ESV) What follows, then, is a demonstration of this very thing – that is, Jesus loving “his own… to the end”.

The word end has a twofold significance. It means that Jesus loved those who were his – his true disciples; the elect – up to the final moment. But, perhaps more importantly, it also means that he loved them to the full. He loved them in a complete way.  It was, to quote Ridderbos, “love to it’s last breath and love in it’s highest intensity.” Chapters 13-17 tell us about that. It isn’t until 18:1 that we read: “When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered.” (John 18:1, ESV) 18:1 marks another transition where Christ, having invested intensely into his disciples, begins to suffer at the hands of his enemies.

I say all of this in order to draw your attention to the fact that we are entering a very unique section in John’s Gospel. We are given a glimpse into the interaction that Jesus had with his disciples in the moments leading up to his arrest, trial, and death. We see Jesus, from chapter 13 through 17, preparing his disciples for his departure. School is in session, we might say. The words are intimate. The lessons are powerful and potent. It is no wonder, then, that many of the most beloved portions of John’s Gospel are found here in these chapters.

That being said, it is important to notice how it is that John introduces this section. He does so by telling a story – the story of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. May I suggest to you that this story is told in order to set the tone for what is to come. School is in session. Jesus is preparing his disciples for his departure. Everything is intense, powerful, and potent. And this story sets the tone for it all. Jesus is putting the finishing touches on his disciples, if you will. He is preparing them to live the Christian life as he desires them to live it. He has been training them for some time now, but it is the last hour.  You know how this goes. Think back to your days in school. You study all semester long, but the night before the big exam is that night that you cram. John 13-17 reminds me a bit of that. Jesus is preparing his disciples, in an intense way, for the challenges that the future will bring. And he begins the session by washing their feet.

Two truths, which are basic and fundamental to the Christian life, emerge as we consider the story of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples.  The first is this: We cannot walk with Jesus, nor can we benefit from him, unless we allow him to first serve us. And the second principle is this: Once we have allow Jesus to serve us, then we too are to go on serving one another. 

We Cannot Walk With Jesus, Nor Can We Benefit From Him, Unless We Allow Him To First Serve Us

Let us consider the first point together: This story makes it abundantly clear that it is impossible to walk with Jesus, or to benefit from him, if we do not allow him to, first of all, serve us.

The scene is set when we are told that Jesus was, yet again, celebrating Passover with his disciples. This is significant given that Jesus was the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. We know that the Passover, as it was celebrated by the Jews in remembrance of the Exodus event, pointed forward to the coming of the Christ. In other words, Jesus was the fulfillment of the Passover feast. It was, in many respects, a picture of him. But it is interesting how little John makes of this fact. There are theories as to why John seems to downplay the Passover. Could it be because the other Gospels – Matthew, Mark, and Luke – have already adequately emphasized Jesus as the fulfillment of the Passover? It is in the other Gospels that we learn of Jesus’ institution of the Lord’s Supper at the last Passover. This clearly communicates that Jesus had fulfilled and advanced that which the Passover signified. Notice that John does not mention the institution of the Lord’s Supper. Or could it be that John felt he had already introduced and developed the Passover theme in a sufficient way earlier in his Gospel, and so he leaves it to the reader to work out the connection? Or perhaps, given that he was writing a relatively late date (85-90 A.D.), John knew that it was common knowledge amongst Christians that Jesus was the fulfillment to the Passover.

It’s difficult to know for sure. The thing to recognize is that he chooses to passover the significance of the Passover and to emphasize the foot washing instead (something the other Gospels tell us little about; see Luke 22:24-26). And that is the thing to be noticed. John downplays the Passover in order to emphasize Jesus’ washing of the disciples feet.

We are simply told that Jesus, being fully aware of the significance of the moment, and the fact that  (verse 3) “…the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.” (John 13:3–5, ESV)

You and I know this story well, and so it is possible that it has grown common to us. I hope not. It is meant to surprise. To think of Jesus setting aside his outer garments and taking upon himself the garb of a servant – to think of him humbling himself in this way, washing the dirty feet of his lowly disciples – should surprise us. It should be especially surprising to us given all that we have learned of him in the Gospel of John: “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God”; “I am the light of the world”, Jesus says; “I am the bread of life”;  “I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me”; “Before Abraham was, I Am”. It was this one – the eternal Son of God come in the flesh – who rose from the table, clothed himself with the garb of a servant, and began to wash the filth from the feet of his lowly disciples. This should surprise us.

It surprised Peter.  As Jesus made his way around the table he came to Peter. I would imagine that most of the men were thinking the same thing, but it was Peter who spoke, saying, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” (John 13:6, ESV) It was a reasonable question, don’t you agree? This act seemed out of place, backwards, and upside down. But Jesus replied, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” (John 13:7, ESV) Peter should have taken the warning, but instead he doubled down saying, “You shall never wash my feet.” And to that Jesus responded more firmly, saying, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” (John 13:8, ESV) And then Peter, true to character, overreached yet again but in the opposite direction, saying, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” (John 13:9, ESV) And again the Lord offered a corrective to Peter’s impulsiveness saying, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” (John 13:10, ESV)

What is the meaning of this exchange between Jesus and Peter? What does it reveal?

The thing it reveals – and this is certainly the main point of it all – is what has already been said. We are reminded that we cannot walk with Jesus, nor can we benefit from him, unless we allow him to serve us. 

At first glance we might see Peter’s refusal to allow Christ to wash his feet as a good and humble thing. Lord, who am I to have someone as great as you stoop down to serve me in this way? There is a sense in which Peter was right to object. This indeed seemed to be a backwards and upside down act. Peter should have been washing Jesus’ feet, and not the other way around.

But this act of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples was meant to demonstrate an all important principle. It illustrated the fact that Christ came to serve us. And it pointed powerfully to the reality that we stand in need of his service.

Jesus rose from the table, girded himself with the garb of servant , and began to wash in order to teach his disciples a lesson. And the first point of the lesson was this: he came to serve! And if we refuse his service, we have nothing to do with him – he benefits us nothing at all!

Matthew 20:25 puts it this way:

“But Jesus called them to him and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’” (Matthew 20:25–28, ESV)

Here is a difference between true and false religion. False religion promotes, first and foremost, the service of God, but refuses to be served by him. True religion, on the other hand – the Christian religion – begins with being served by God. And only after having been served by him – cleansed by him – does it proceed to the service of God. This may seem insignificant at first glance, but it is in fact the difference between true and false religion. False religions says, I will serve God and thus earn my place before him.  True religion says, God I have nothing to give. Have mercy upon me, Lord!

The true Christian sings from the heart the words found in the old hymn, Rock of Ages:

“Nothing in my hand I bring,
simply to the cross I cling;
naked, come to thee for dress;
helpless, look to thee for grace;
foul, I to the fountain fly;
wash me, Savior, or I die.”

Peter’s refusal to allow Christ to wash him at first seems reasonable, humble, and altruistic, but in the end it sets him at odds with Jesus. “If I do not wash you [Jesus says], you have no share with me”. In other words, our whole relationship is predicated upon me washing you; It starts with me serving you, Peter. We must begin there! “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me”.

Peter’s response to this is true to character. He said, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” (John 13:9, ESV) At least now Peter understands the symbolism of the washing. But he overcorrects saying, if that it was it takes Lord, then wash me head to toe. 

This is a bit of a side note, but it is worth saying. As a rule of thumb it is best to remain silent when you do not understand something. Questions are good. But when we speak to something before we understand it, we tend to look foolish.  Proverbs 17:28 puts it nicely, saying, “Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.” (Proverbs 17:28, ESV)

But it was this statement from Peter, misinformed as it was, that provided an opportunity for Jesus to elaborate upon the symbolism of the foot washing. He replied to Peter, saying, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” (John 13:10, ESV)

It becomes clear, then, that the thing symbolized by the washing is the forgiveness of sins. Jesus refused to wash Peter (and the others) from head to toe because they had already been cleansed. In other words, they had already been forgiven; their sins had already been washed away; they had already been justified because they had already believed upon Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. Jesus insisted that “the one who has bathed does not need to wash… but is completely clean. And you are clean…”

A bath was not needed. What was needed is for their feet to be washed. They had bathed in the morning, perhaps. And now, after walking through the dusty streets all day in their sandals, it was necessary to have their feet washed as they reclined at table to celebrate the supper.

As it is with bathing and the washing of feet, so it is with the Christian life. We are washed completely in the moment we believe upon Christ. Our sins are washed away – all of them. We are forgiven; we are justified; we are declared “not guilty” by God Almighty on the basis of Christ’s death and resurrection. “Though your sins [were] like scarlet, they…[are] white as snow; though they [were] red like crimson, they [have] become like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18, ESV) This is true and real and cannot be undone. But as we walk in this world we find that our feet our dirtied. And here is why we are to come to Christ regularly to confess our sins to him from the heart, and to turn from them. This is why we give time for the confession of sin and the assurance of pardon each and every Lord’s Day. The regular confession of sin from the heart is a key component of the Christian life. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:8–9, ESV) This is one thing that the foot washing symbolizes.

But the main point should not be forgotten. We cannot walk with Jesus, nor can we benefit from him, unless we allow him to first serve us.

Let us turn our attention for a moment from Jesus’ interaction with Peter, to what is said about the other prominent figure in this text, whose name is Judas.

Have you noticed that Judas is mentioned a lot in John’s Gospel? This is significant especially when you consider that little to nothing is said about many of the other disciples of Jesus. But Judas is mentioned time and again!

Notice that it is often emphasized how Jesus was aware of Judas’ wickedness all along. This is especially important given that John has emphasized time and again that Jesus came to save his sheep, that he knows his sheep and they know him, and that he has lost none of those given to him by the Father from before the foundation of the world. This is a repeated theme in John’s Gospel. All is well and good concerning this until you think of Judas. What about Judas? we say. How could it be that Judas betrayed Christ if it is true that Jesus lost none of those who were his.  This is why we are told time and time again that Jesus knew of Judas’ wicked heart from the beginning. Here we read, “‘And you are clean, 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.’” (John 13:10–11, ESV) Jesus did not loose Judas given that Judas never belonged to Jesus. He was never “clean” as the others were. Judas belonged to Christ externally, but not internally and from the heart. He was not found and then lost, saved and then unsaved, but rather lost and unclean all along. This is why Jesus says in verse 17 “…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.’ I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he.” (John 13:17–19, ESV)

I want you to notice two things about Judas before we move on.

First of all, remember that he was worldly. He was fleshly. He followed Jesus so long as he thought there was a chance that it would benefit him in this world. He was in love with money. It would seem that he, like the other unbelieving Jews, was looking for a Messiah that would establish an earthly kingdom and reign forever. And it would also seem that as it became more and more clear that Jesus was not interested in this kind of kingdom, his heart grew more and more cold to Jesus, leading to his act of betrayal. I cannot help but think that the act of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples helped to seal the deal for Judas. We know that there was a spiritual struggle going on. We read in 13:27 that, “after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, ‘What you are going to do, do quickly.’” (John 13:27, ESV) The spiritual struggle was real, I’m not denying that. But you can imagine the battle that raged within the heart of Judas as he watched Jesus clothe himself in the garb of a servant and proceed to wash the feet of his disciples in such a lowly way. I think Judas looked upon Jesus with disdain. I imagine him looking down upon Jesus thinking to himself, what a pitiful thing this is! What kind of Messiah is this? Peter, after he came to understand the significance of the washing, was eager to be washed! But in contrast it would seem that it was the washing which helped to seal the deal for Judas. He evidently had no appetite for a lowly, humble, and servile Messiah such as this. He had this in common with the unbelieving multitudes who were ill-prepared to receive a Christ who was a humble servant in fulfillment to Isaiah 53.

Secondly, I want you to notice that Judas, though his heart was far from Jesus, and though he in fact disbelieved, still identified with Jesus externally. He had walked with him for years. His feet were washed by him! He would eat the meal with him! But it benefited him nothing, because his heart was far from him. This should serve as a warning to you and I as we identify with Jesus today in an external way. May we also identify with hm from the heart. “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Hebrews 3:12–13, ESV)

Brothers and sisters, we cannot walk with Jesus, nor can we benefit from him, unless we allow him to serve us. And we must allow him to serve us with a heart full of faith. An external show of religion will do us no good. We must trust in him from the heart if we are to be cleansed by him.

Having Been Served By Jesus, We Must Then Go On To Serve One Another

Let us now briefly consider the second truth revealed in this story. The second truth is this: having been served by Jesus, we must then go on to serve one another. This is the way of the Christian. The Christian – once he has been cleansed by Jesus, having received, by faith, the forgiveness earned by him through his death and resurrection – is to go on living a life marked by the selfless service of others. Christ has served us, and we are likewise to serve one another.

In 13:12 we read:

“When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, ‘Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.’” (John 13:12–17, ESV)

Notice that a blessing is pronounced upon those who know these things and do them? Do you want to be blessed in this life – blessed in your marriage, blessed in your parenting, blessed in the church, blessed in all things? Then know and do what is said here. Wash one another’s feet.

Some Christian’s have taken this literally and have, as a part of their liturgy, the practice of foot washing. This seems to me to be a misunderstanding of the text. Jesus washed the feet of his disciples in order to symbolize the way in which he came to serve in the whole of life in general, and particularly through the cross. In the same way we are exhorted, not to wash one another feet in ceremonial fashion, but to apply the principle to the whole of life. We are to wash one another feet, figuratively speaking.

Brothers and sisters, we are to serve one another. We are to serve one another even it that means engaging in the most lowly and humble of tasks. This is the kind of love that Christians are to have for one another. Listen to how John speaks of this in his brief letter:

1 John 3:11: “For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.” (1 John 3:11, ESV)

3:23: “And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.” (1 John 3:23, ESV)

4:7: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.” (1 John 4:7, ESV)

4:11: “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (1 John 4:11, ESV)

4:12: “No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.” (1 John 4:12, ESV)

The point is this: Those who have been served by Christ – those who know what it is to be loved by Christ, ought to extend that same kind of love to their brother and sister in Christ, and even to their neighbors.

Pride is the thing that hinders this. The proud person thinks to himself, I am better the him, or I am better then her. The proud person reasons within herself, that job is to low for me; I am certainly above it. 

The remedy to this deadly disease called pride is to reflect deeply upon the cross of Christ and God’s great love for us. He did not die for us because we were high and nobel and worthy, but because we were lowly and in great need. And consider who it is that has served us! God himself! The second person of the Trinity has humbled himself in order to meet our great need. If God has loved us in this way, how could we possibly withhold this kind of love from one another? If Christ stooped down to serve us in this way, how could we possibly refuse to serve a brother or sister who is our equal.

Conclusion 

It would seem to me that Paul had all of this in mind when wrote to the Philippians, saying,

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:5–8, ESV)

This was the mindset of Christ towards us, and it is to be the mindset of every Christian. Brothers and sisters, having been loved by God in Christ Jesus, and having been served by him in such a magnificent way, let us love and serve one another to the end.