John 13:18-35. Such Extraordinary Love

Christians have been told by the Lord Jesus,

“Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34

In his book ‘Mere Christianity’, C.S. Lewis wrote,

“Do not waste your time bothering whether you 'love' your neighbour, act as if you did. As soon as we do this, we find one of the great secrets of life. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him. If you injure someone you dislike, you will find yourself disliking him more. If you do him a good turn, you will find yourself disliking him less.”

A wife came into the office of George Crane who was both a newspaper columnist and a minister. She was full of hatred toward her husband saying,

“I do not only want to get rid of him, I want to get even. Before I divorce him, I want to hurt him as much as he hates me.”

Dr. Crane suggested an ingenious plan,

“Go home and act as if you really love your husband. Tell him how much he means to you. Praise him for every decent trait. Go out of your way to be as kind, considerate, and generous as possible. Spare no efforts to please him, to enjoy him. Make him believe you love him. After you've convinced him of your undying love and that you cannot live without him, then drop the bomb. Then tell him that you're getting a divorce. That will really hurt him.”

With revenge in her eyes, she smiled and exclaimed,

“Beautiful, beautiful. Will he ever be surprised!”

And she did it with enthusiasm, acting “as if” she loved him. For two months she showed love, kindness, listening, giving, reinforcing, sharing. When she didn't return, Crane called.

“Are you ready now to go through with the divorce?”

“Divorce?” she exclaimed. "Never! I discovered I really do love him."

Her actions had changed her feelings. Motion resulted in emotion. The ability to love is established not so much by fervent promise as often repeated deeds.

The actions of Jesus showed his love. The disciples were in the upper room to celebrate the Passover meal. Jesus has symbolically washed his disciples feet and then asked them,

“Do you understand what I have done for you?” John 13:12

The washing of feet is not just a sign of humility to others, a reminder that Jesus wants to keep us clean from sin, it is also a sign that we should all support gospel ministry. Jesus then reveals what is deep in his heart; he addresses his followers who are to continue his work,

“I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” John 13:15

Jesus is about to send his people out into the world with a message to share; both their demeanour of service and the content of what they say are vital,

“I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” John 13:16-17

Real love is really practical. When we love our emotional feelings will change. This was demonstrated to us by the Lord Jesus and his extraordinary love for Judas Iscariot.

Love Demonstrated

At this point the Jesus must have felt very hurt as he knew that one of those present would not be blessed by God.

“I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfil Scripture: ‘He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me.’” John 13:18

By quoting the Old Testament Jesus yet again affirms that its authority is from God. Yet the quote is very interesting. It is from a Psalm written by David when he was feeling weak and in deep trouble, yet he knew that the Lord was with him.

“Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the LORD delivers him in times of trouble” Psalm 41:1

This beautiful Psalm is often taken to be a reminder that the Lord is always with all of those who are faithful to him and whatever the enemy’s weapons, whether slander, lies or gossip, the man of integrity will be preserved. However Jesus clearly understands this psalm in a more specific way. He thinks it is talking about what would happen to him, the Son of David.

“The LORD will protect him and preserve his life; and he will bless him in the land and will not surrender him to the desire of his foes.” Psalm 41:2

David recognised that even those who had sinned could be restored. Jesus must have been greatly comforted by this as he was about to take responsibility on himself for the sins of the whole world.

“I said, ‘O LORD, have mercy on me; heal me, for I have sinned against you.’ My enemies say to me in malice, ‘When will he die and his name perish?’” Psalm 41:4-5

Jesus’ enemies wanted to do away with him and his teaching and let his name pass into oblivion but the Lord will not allow this. The enemies of both David and Jesus, with their devious techniques, did seem to have the upper hand,

“Whenever one comes to see me, he speaks falsely, while his heart gathers slander; then one goes out and spreads it abroad. All my enemies whisper together against me; they imagine the worst for me . . .” Psalm 41:6-7

Yet both David and his greater offspring have not been forgotten.

What hurt David more than anything was that his close colleague, Ahithophel, who had a place at David’s dining table, had later turned his back on the king and became a supporter of Absolom when he tried to take the throne from his father David (2 Samuel 15:12). Ahithophel was possibly the grandfather of Bathsheba. He had a son, Eliam, who, together with Uriah the Hittite, was a member of the Thirty Club, the elite leaders of Israel (See 2 Samuel 11:3 and 2 Samuel 23:34 and 39). Eliam had a daughter called Bathsheba. Ahithophel later hanged himself (2 Samuel 17:23-24), in the same way that Judas was to end his life.

It is likely that David was talking about the Ahithophel he loved when he said,

“Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted his heel against me.” Psalm 41:9

In the same way, Jesus grieved because of the treachery of Judas, who mimicked the behaviour of Ahithophel, David’s friend

“He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me.” John 13:18, Psalm 41:9

How Jesus must have longed for a last minute change of heart in Judas who probably had the most privileged background of all the disciples. In all likelihood, he was raised in Kerioth; Iscariot means, ‘of Kerioth’, an ‘up-market’ town ten miles south of Hebron. Judas was not a Galilean like most of the other disciples. His education and social gifts could explain why Judas was trusted to be the treasurer of this little group – he was the gentleman of the group. Yet social privilege does not mean that people will be privileged by God.

What a tragedy it is when today, those who have been active in Christ’s church fall to the world’s temptations and turn their backs on the Lord Jesus. Jesus felt that even Judas could still turn back to him, but to his eternal shame Judas persisted on his treacherous course.

Jesus wants everybody ‘to believe in him’ and as a result of this relationship to turn our backs on sin and worldliness. After saying that someone close to him will betray him he explains why he has made this limited news public at this stage,

“I am telling you now, before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He.” John 13:19

Jesus knew what was about to happen to him and this foreknowledge was yet another proof that when he said, ‘I and the Father are one’, he was telling the truth. This was to be the apostles’ message and the church’s message. Jesus keeps reminding them of this; to believe in him must involve sharing that belief. So Jesus continues,

“I tell you the truth, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.” John 13:20

This is a profound truth. Just as the Lord God is intimately associated with Jesus, so his followers are intimately associated with him. This is why it is so important that we reveal Jesus by the way we think, act and speak.

How the demise of one of these, his chosen people, hurt Jesus deeply,

“After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, ‘I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me.’” John 13:21

On the eve of his crucifixion Jesus is deeply distressed that his friend Judas was going to betray him for a fleeting pleasure offered by this world.

There was an old hymn written by Samuel Trevor Francis (1834-1925) that portrays this,

“Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus . . .”

Francis had a spiritual turning point as a teenager when, one night, he was thinking about committing suicide when on a bridge over the River Thames. He then experienced the love of the Lord Jesus for him and went on to author many poems and hymns. He was also a preacher as well has having a career as a merchant. This love of Jesus that reached out to Judas is still reaching out to all who reject Jesus or are just pretending to follow him today.

Jesus’ disciples did not understand what he was talking about,

“His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant.” John 13:22

From the details given in this account, Judas must have been lying on Jesus’s left side, a place of honour. Jesus must have invited him to lie there. John was lying on Jesus’ right, so he sometimes leant back onto Jesus, with Peter somewhere close by, possibly next to him.

“One of them, the disciple Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him what he means.” Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, ‘Lord, who is it?’” John 13:23-24

The disciples obviously had no clue about what was going on in Judas’ mind – only Jesus knew that. There is no hiding anything from him. In Matthew’s account of this story, when the disciples are told that one of them was going to betray Jesus, he notes,

“They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, ‘Surely, not I, Lord?’” Matthew 26:22

Judas was a great actor as well as hypocrite as he also joined in,

“Surely, not I, Lord?” Matthew 26:25

Jesus’ reply to Judas, who was lying next to him, must have been very quiet, as the other disciples still did not understand,

“Yes, it is you.” Matthew 26:25

So, in spite of knowing that God knows his mind, Judas still persisted in his rebellion against the most loving person the world has ever known. Jesus did not betray Judas to the other disciples, no hints or innuendos slipped out. Though Jesus knew his heart, there were no overt criticisms. Jesus still reached out to him, as he does to all of us, with an acceptance of what he knows us to be. Jesus had washed Judas’ feet. Jesus had even included him in the Passover feast that told of his death for them.

Jesus had said to Peter, after washing the disciples’ feet,

“And you are clean, but not everyone of you.” John 13:10

That would surely have resonated with Judas, behind his mask-like face, yet he still refused to change direction. When Jesus quoted Psalm 41, Judas would have been reminded of Ahithophel but he still refused to rethink the way he was going. What a fool. There does come a time when today people’s hearts are ‘hardened’ and then we cannot change direction either.

Even when John privately asked Jesus about what he meant, Jesus does not denounce Judas publicly. John had ‘leaned back against Jesus’, this was a private intimate conversation, and Jesus answered to him,

“It is the one to whom I give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish. Then dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon.”

In that culture, to take a morsel of bread, dip it in the sauce and pass this to someone was a gesture of real friendship. Judas took the bread from Jesus, outwardly accepting it but inwardly he was to throw this offer of love in Jesus’ face!

In the Old Testament, after Boaz had first met Ruth, he expressed his admiration for her by saying,

“Come over here. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar.” Ruth 2:14

In this way John had been given yet a further glimpse of the love, depth of understanding and foreknowledge that Jesus had, even for those who were opposed to him.

Being given this final token of love was a critical time for Judas. Which way would he go? He had made arrangements with the High Priest that were very much to his financial benefit and to refuse them would make them angry and could put his own life at risk. He had made his decision.

“As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.” John 13:27

Jesus still remains loyal to Judas, and in spite of the evil being done to him, he still refuses to betray Judas.

“What you are about to do, do quickly,” Jesus told him, but no-one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. Since Judas was in charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the feast, or to give something to the poor.” John 13:28-30

Judas left immediately but John finishes this section with some poignant words,

“And it was night.” John 13:30

This has a double meaning, typical of John. It was all darkness and rebellion in the soul of Judas who was disastrously separating himself from the love of God. Judas was a victim of his own greed and jealousy. When he later reflected on all Jesus was, how he had washed his feet, given him the place of honour next to him at the table. reached out to him with the sop and had refused to denounce him publicly, he must have realised how this contrasted this with his own selfish motives for betraying Jesus. He must have felt awful. Guilt must have swamped him as he thought of the love of Christ and of his own wretched selfishness.

Love Demanded

Jesus then addresses the remaining disciples. He reminds them that his imminent death is really the glory of his life and the path to his being glorified by his heavenly Father.

“Jesus said, ‘Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.” John 13:31-32

Jesus will not flinch from either his duty or the purpose of his life. Yet this reminded Jesus that his remaining time on earth was short.

“My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.” John 13:33

Jesus determined to use this remaining time with his disciples as profitably as possible by giving further teaching to his disciples about their future role. We are given this remarkable teaching in the following three chapters of John’s gospel. The first demand is that they must learn to get on well with each other. So Jesus said,

“A new command I give you, ‘Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35

What a tragedy it is when church members fall out with each other and gossip about other’s faults. Jesus was silent about what he knew was wrong with Judas and taught us to behave similarly.

But why does Jesus call this command to love a ‘new commandment’? This command resonates through the Old Testament, for example,

“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbour as yourself. I am the LORD.” Leviticus 19:18

It is likely that the Jews were re-defining ‘your neighbour’ as those they naturally got along with and who agreed with them. They felt that they could hate those who disagreed with them. In churches today, there are those who will see things differently to us, but Jesus emphasises that we must do everything we can to get along with them – for his sake.

It is this love that Christians have for one another that will help to make our Saviour so winsome. This is such an attractive beginning to this final teaching of Jesus. The world is naturally divided. Back then it was divided between masters and slaves, Jews and Gentiles, men and women and so on. Today there are capitalists and socialists, rich and poor, educated and less educated and so on. Jesus wants to confront these divisions. In Christ there is unity. There is something beautiful to see a church of mixed groups of people, all working together to honour the Lord Jesus. There is nothing like it, all obeying Christ’s commands to share the gospel with a fallen world.

We all naturally love people who are like us. Movie stars love movie stars, middle class people tend to love middle class people, bikers love bikers but Christ can broaden our love to a wide variety of people. The secret is to keep remembering,

“As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34

It is one thing to love our neighbour as we love ourselves, but it is even greater to love our neighbour as Christ loves them.

BVP