Message: Lessons from the Upper Room pt.4                                          Text: John 13

IV. John 13:18-30                Friend of God?

Introduction: Some  parents give their children some pretty bad names. Wouldn’t you agree? Here are a few I found.

A'Risin Starr, 2la, Oym'unique, Rainbeau Jane, Female - pronunced fa-mall-ly. (The parents thought that the hospital named the baby --- female)
"Urine" (thinking it was pronounced yourEEN)Cinsere (boy), Courvoisier (boy), Harveyetta Nosmo King (say it together), Jermajesty, Blueberry (girl),
Rainbow (boy), and Cordon Bleu (boy)

As bad as these names are, there’s a name that it seems no one in modern history has given to their son. The name is Judas. Did you know that the name Judas originally meant ‘praise’? Today it’s associated with betrayal of the worst kind…
betrayal from a close friend.

Dictionary.com defines betrayal as  ‘To be false or disloyal to, To divulge in a breach of confidence: betray a secret. To reveal against someone's desire or will. To lead astray; to deceive. To deliver into the hands of an enemy in violation of a trust or allegiance: betrayed Christ to the Romans.’

When we think of betrayal we often think of a spy or someone who sells US secrets to another country.  Perhaps we think of the TV show ‘Survival’ where it seems the only way to win is to turn on those you made an alliance with.

But betrayal is not just something other people experience…is it? At one time or another we’ve all experienced betrayal. Either you’ve been betrayed or you’ve betrayed someone else…Perhaps both.
    •    Maybe you told someone something in confidence and soon everyone knew about it.
    •    Perhaps the vow of faithfulness you made to your spouse when you got married hasn’t kept you from straying.

How does it feel to be betrayed? To be betrayed by someone you  cared about? Jesus knows what it feels like because it happened to him.

Transition: Open your Bibles to John 13:18 (pg. 823 in the Bible under the chair in front of you) It is here that we will see the betrayal of Jesus by someone who appeared to be his friend.

John 13:18-20        Everyone not included.
Read: John 13:18-20

In vs 17 Jesus said: ‘Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.’

In vs 18 Jesus is saying that one of his disciples will not be blessed….why? It’s inferred that he would not do what Jesus just explained….serve one another in love. Jesus was speaking about Judas.

    •    Did Jesus make a mistake in choosing Judas as one of his disciples?
    •    Did Judas’ betrayal surprise Jesus?

The answer to both questions is no.

Jesus chose Judas because he knew he was going to betray him. In fact, his betrayal was prophesized in Scripture. Judas would be the one to fulfill that prophesy.

And Judas’ planned betrayal was no surprise to Jesus. In fact, that’s what Jesus implied when he said: ‘I am telling you this now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am he.’  While this was not the first time Jesus predicted his betrayal, I believe it’s the first time the disciples took him seriously.
Then in vs 20 Jesus says something that sounds a little out of place and a bit hard to understand. Let me try to simplify it.

    •    In vs 13-14 Jesus is talking about the disciple-master relationship.
    •    In vs 20 Jesus is talking about the disciple-master relationship and comparing it to the God the Father-God the Son relationship.
    •    He is saying that just as a disciple has the right to speak for his teacher, so Jesus has the right to speak for God.
    •    He is showing that a special closeness exists between a disciple and their teacher just as a special closeness exists between Jesus and God the Father.

I believe he was saying this for two reasons.
    1. To make further claim to his deity.
    2. To assure us that we, as his disciples, are in a special relationship with him that not everyone experiences.

But the last few words of vs 20 are at the crux of the. ‘whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me’ Plain and simple.

    •    You can’t say you believe in God and not believe in Jesus as his Son.
    •    You can’t say you follow God without following Jesus.
    •    You can’t say you have God in your life without accepting Jesus into your life.
    •    Actually you can say whatever you want, but you would be betraying yourself.

Why does Jesus go into all this just before he is betrayed? Because it looks to me that Jesus was giving Judas one more chance to believe by telling him the importance of accepting him as the Messiah. If he refused, it meant he had no relationship with God the Father either.

Transition: These are very serious words and I don’t say them lightly. Neither should you let them pass through your ears without allowing them to take root.  Judas heard everything Jesus said, but like many today, he failed to act upon it.

John 13:21                    Jesus’ heart is broken
Read: John 13:21

Jesus wasn’t emotionally detached from what was going on around him. He knew what was going to happen but we read that he was troubled in his heart, he grieved, he was hurting. Why? Because Judas was going to betray him. Jesus knew the hardness of Judas’ heart. He knew the deadness of his sin which provoked Judas to betray Jesus.

But….Jesus washed Judas’ feet too…remember? I believe Jesus loved Judas and wanted him to fight the temptation to betray him and instead trust in him as his Messiah. Some may disagree with me here but God could have found some other way to fulfill Scripture…it didn’t have to be Judas.

Read: 2 Peter 3:9 ‘The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.’

‘not wanting anyone to perish’…even Judas. 

Transition:  Jesus repeated it twice now… ‘one of you is going to betray me.’ Can you imagine what the disciples were thinking?

John 13:22-25             Self examination
Read: John 13:22-25

His disciples looked at each other and wondered who it could be. Of course Judas knew Jesus was speaking of him but he had covered his tracks so well, no one suspected it was him. But someone should have. Matthew’s Gospel tells us this:

Read: Matt. 26:21-25

One after another, 11 disciples respond ‘Lord, is it I?’ But notice how Judas responded ‘Surely not I, Rabbi’.

After all Judas had seen Jesus do, after all Judas had heard Jesus say, he still could only acknowledged him as teacher, not Lord. Isn’t that what so many people do today. O, yes, I believe Jesus was a great teacher, but God too…they, like Judas, do not believe.

Peter, always wanting to be in the know, whispers to John who was sitting next to Jesus, ‘Hey John, ask Jesus who he’s talking about’. John leans close to Jesus and whispers ‘Lord, who is it?’.

Transition: I wonder if they really wanted to know the answer for fear that it might be them. How do you feel about asking Jesus to reveal your sin to you? Let’s see what Jesus says.

John 13:26-30          It was night
Read: John 13:26-30

There are four things that stand out for me here.

First, most commentators believe Jesus spoke the words of vs 26 to John only. That means when Jesus gave the bread to Judas, to the other disciples, it was only a sign of prominence and favor bestowed upon a guest by a host. In other words, they still were in the dark as to who would betray Jesus.

But notice something. It’s the one who is very close to Jesus who finds out what Jesus has planned. Just something to think about.

Second, what’s meant by Satan entered into Judas? Certainly it’s one of the most scary expressions in all Scripture…Satan entered him.
Judas had allowed his heart to harden against the grace of God. Because of that he was prime pickings for Satan. He could use Judas to be his instrument to accomplish his evil desires.

Understand, Judas made a conscious choice to betray Jesus and when he did, Satan manipulated him like a marionette and he gave in to Satan’s control. 

People still make that very same choice today when their heart is hardened by repeated rejections of Jesus’ offer of forgiveness and salvation.
    •    They, like Judas, are given many opportunities to see God at work in and around them.
    •    They, like Judas are given many opportunities to repent of their sin
    •    but they, like Judas,  say no thanks, I’m OK as I am.

If they only knew how wrong they are.

Third, is there any significance to John saying it was dark outside when Judas left? Yes. John had described Jesus and Jesus referred to himself as the ‘Light of the Word’. Judas was not leaving the ‘Light’ of Jesus and like Anakin Skywalker, he went over to the ‘dark side’ of sin.

Fourth, Jesus told him ‘What you are about to do, do quickly.’ In other words, Jesus dismissed Judas from the group. He asked him to leave because he had made his choice to reject and betray him.

Jesus will soon give some of his greatest teachings about being a Christian in God’s Kingdom, but he couldn’t do that while Judas was still in their midst. Because he was a false believer and these truths are promises only to those who believe.

With Judas now gone, Jesus can speak freely to his true disciples.

Conclusion

I wasn’t able to find anyone who has been named Judas after Biblical days. People are still named Adolph or Benedict, but not Judas. Why? Because  the name has become a symbol of everything that is deceitful and treacherous in human relationships. Because true friends don’t betray one another.

Let me ask. Are you a friend of God? Don’t answer to quickly. Think about it for a moment.
    •    Have you accepted Jesus as your Savior?
    •    Have you asked him to forgive your sins?
    •    Have you given control of your life to Jesus?

If you haven’t then you will leave this place this morning like Judas left the upper room that fateful night…in the dark, in your sin and without hope of eternal life.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Just as Jesus gave Judas another opportunity to believe, God gives you that same opportunity today.

    •    Will you take it and walk in the light of Jesus’ love and forgiveness or
    •    will you refuse it and walk in the darkness of sin?