John 13: 18 – 38 (NLT)
“I am not saying these things to all of you; I know the ones I have chosen. But this fulfills the Scripture that says, ‘The one who eats my food has turned against me.’ (Psalm 41:9) 19 I tell you this beforehand, so that when it happens you will believe that I am the Messiah. 20 I tell you the truth, anyone who welcomes my messenger is welcoming me, and anyone who welcomes me is welcoming the Father who sent me.”
21 Now Jesus was deeply troubled, and he exclaimed, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me!”
22 The disciples looked at each other, wondering whom he could mean.23 The disciple Jesus loved was sitting next to Jesus at the table.24 Simon Peter motioned to him to ask, “Who’s he talking about?” 25 So that disciple leaned over to Jesus and asked, “Lord, who is it?”
26 Jesus responded, “It is the one to whom I give the bread I dip in the bowl.” And when he had dipped it, he gave it to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot. 27 When Judas had eaten the bread, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus told him, “Hurry and do what you’re going to do.” 28 None of the others at the table knew what Jesus meant. 29 Since Judas was their treasurer, some thought Jesus was telling him to go and pay for the food or to give some money to the poor. 30 So Judas left at once, going out into the night.
31 As soon as Judas left the room, Jesus said, “The time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory, and God will be glorified because of him. 32 And since God receives glory because of the Son, he will give his own glory to the Son, and he will do so at once. 33 Dear children, I will be with you only a little longer. And as I told the Jewish leaders, you will search for me, but you can’t come where I am going. 34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
36 Simon Peter asked, “Lord, where are you going?”
And Jesus replied, “You can’t go with me now, but you will follow me later.”
37 “But why can’t I come now, Lord?” he asked. “I’m ready to die for you.”
38 Jesus answered, “Die for me? I tell you the truth, Peter—before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.”
I can’t even imagine being in a situation like the one described in these verses. Jesus is having his last meal, a Passover meal, with his disciples (his closest friends) knowing he is going to die a horrendous death soon and the person who is going to betray him is sitting at the table with him. The other disciples didn’t seem to be aware that Judas was a traitor. Jesus washes all the disciples’ feet – even Judas’ feet. When Jesus tells Judas to leave, the rest of them think Judas is going to pay some bills. So, there doesn’t seem to be any indication that Judas was not an accepted member of Jesus’ close circle of friends.
I know I couldn’t be friends and keep up a genuine relationship with someone who I knew was really an enemy. Sometimes in a work environment, I haven’t been all that close to some of my colleagues, but you learn how to get along and get the job done. You don’t have to hang out with them after work, so the working relationship can be tolerated. Even in my neighbourhood, there have been some neighbours who I wouldn’t have chosen if it had been up to me. We had one neighbour in particular who was a very grouchy person, so we learned to avoid him and did our best to understand why he acted the way he did. But in no way, have I ever lived with someone for 3 years who I knew was someone who would betray me. Yet Jesus did.
But then, I shouldn’t be surprised. Jesus died for me – and each one of us – when we were sinners and far away from God. “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” ( Romans 5:8) Frankly, that kind of love isn’t a quality I possess. I like people who seem to like me; I don’t go out of my way to be friends with someone who doesn’t like me. And I suspect that describes you as well. The fact that God created us, and then we essentially slapped Him in the face by trying to be as smart as Him (Eve and Adam in the Garden of Eden) shows us how much God loves us. That He would come to earth and die for us is beyond our comprehension. Yet He did.
There are some verses in John 13 that make me cringe. “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” (v. 34, 35) When we see Jesus’ ability to love and put up with those who are actually against him, and then he asks us to love one another, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. But do Christians show deep love for one another? A couple of years ago, I asked my granddaughter if she thought the church today was known for its love and care for others. She said, “No.” She thinks it’s known more for its judgmental attitude. Wow! That hurts!
Jesus says, “Just as I have loved you, you should love each other”. Love that would tolerate and be kind to an enemy? What a challenge! This is a love that would have us serve every Christ follower whether we like them or not. I suspect this is a challenge for each one of you, and it certainly challenges me. Right now, as I write, the names of some people I avoid come to my mind. I need to ask God for forgiveness and the help I need to obey one of His last commands. “Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.”
Our song for today is Every Act of Love by Jason Gray.