Dial In with Jonny Ardavanis - Dial In - John 13:21-38 (Ep. 36)

Episode Date: May 20, 2020

Dial In is a devotional series with the intention of helping followers of Christ understand God’s word and love Him more. Jonny seeks to communicate the profound depth of scripture in a digestible and condensed format each weekday. The goal of the podcast is that our “minds would be renewed” as we behold who God is in His word. In this series, Jonny is walking sequentially through the Gospel of John.In this episode, Jonny covers John 13:21-38 which details Judas’ betrayal of Jesus. Jesus, on the night before before his execution gives his disciples a new commandment: that they love one another. Jesus tells them that the definitive mark of their discipleship will no longer be following him physically, but loving others as the external evidence of an inward transformation. Watch VideosVisit the Website Follow on InstagramFollow on Twitter

Hey guys, my name is Johnny Artavanis, and this is Dial In. We pick up where we left off in our previous episode at the dinner that Jesus is having with his disciples the night before he is crucified. In this episode, we're in John chapter 13, verses 21 through 38. Let's dial in. John chapter 13, verses 21 through 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 the 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 whom I will give the 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 had said this to him. Some thought that because Judas had the money bag, 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 and I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I will 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 are also to love one another. By this, all people will know that you are my disciples, if you love 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 me 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. In our previous episode, Jesus washed the disciples' feet. This was the greatest person in the universe who had just acted out the role of a servant, of a slave. Jesus teaches the disciples a lesson on humility in the midst of a competition that they are having over who is the greatest. Jesus shows his disciples that the maturity of their love for him is measured by how they love and serve one another. We pick back up in this text at the same meal, the final meal that Jesus has with his disciples before his death. Jesus tells his disciples in verse 15, I have given you an example of what to do to love and serve one another. Do what I do because you cannot

go where I am about to go. Jesus is about to be betrayed and arrested, and that is no surprise to him. He knows exactly what Judas is about to do. In verse 11, he says that all of my disciples are washed except for one. He knows the one who is unsaved, and he knows what Judas is going to do. And in verse 18, he says, I am telling you that I am going to be betrayed before it happens so that when it happens, you may believe that I am he. Throughout the Gospel of John, Jesus references himself as the I am. And here, Jesus is saying that when you see what I have predicted come to pass, you will know and remember that I am God. I am going to be betrayed. Judas was a necessary part of his predetermined plan. And this is so important that the disciples understand this,

that Jesus is the sovereign ruler of every event in creation. And he tells them, I don't want you to have any doubts that I am God. So I'm telling you exactly what is going to occur before it happens. I'm still sending you out. You still have a mission. The disciples' confidence in their mission could have unraveled after seeing Jesus arrested, but Jesus reinforces them before the betrayal even takes place so that they will still go out as his ambassadors. Use your imagination with me as we picture the scene. The Bible is not a textbook.

There is an event that is taking place here. This is an eyewitness testimony. John will say in John 21, 24 about himself, this is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things and who has written these things. And again, in John 1935, he who saw it has borne witness. His testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth so that you may believe. What John tells us over and over again throughout his writings is that I was there. I saw these events with my own eyes. These events really, really happened. I love that. So use your imagination and picture the scene

with me. The disciples and Jesus are lying on the floor around this low table, and they're typically leaning on their left elbow with a cushion, and they're eating with their right hand. Jesus tells them, truly, truly, one of you will betray me. And what's so interesting is that the disciples didn't start going, not me, not me. It's Judas, huh? No, Matthew records that each one of them, one by one, begin to ask Jesus, is it I? Is it me? Am I the one who betrays you, Jesus? They don't go, yeah, it makes sense. It would be Judas. No, they have no idea. And they ask Jesus, is it me? John is most likely on the right of Jesus because he leans back on Jesus to ask him who will betray him. Jesus responds

evidently very softly in verse 26 to John. He says, John, the one whom I give the morsel of bread to after I have dipped it in the cup is the betrayer. So in verse 27, he dipped the morsel and he gives it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. The seat of honor at such an event as this would be on the left. And the commentators state that it was likely there that Judas sat as he would have been close enough for Jesus to pass him a piece of bread. The betrayer of the son of God is at the seat of honor. Now you would think that this would be obvious that Judas is the betrayer, but verse 28 tells us that no one knows why Jesus gave Judas this piece of bread and told him to go and do quickly what he was about to do, except for potentially John and Peter. Jesus tells Judas, do what you do, do what you're going to do and do it quickly.

Jesus is on a divine timetable. He would be sacrificed during the Passover the following evening. And Jesus tells Judas to hustle to betray him. This is amazing. Jesus is not the victim of a hypocrite. He said previously, I know the ones that I have chosen as my disciples. I know every one of you, Jesus says. I know who you are and what's inside of you.

And he selects these disciples knowing that one of them, Judas in particular, would betray him. In John 6, he said, did I not choose all of you? And one of you is a devil. Jesus says, I know everything in human history. I am not a victim. There are no surprises to me. I know the man who betrays me. I know the timing of that betrayal, the location of that betrayal, the act of the kiss. I know it all. Can you imagine the thought process of Judas for three years? The times that Judas would have played the part, knew all the answers and affirmed the truth. Can you imagine also how many thousands of times Jesus had sat in the presence of Judas knowing exactly what he would do. Within 24 hours of this meal, Jesus will be crucified. And likely, within 12 hours, Judas, who will sell Jesus for the price

of a slave, will be dead as well. Before Jesus will ever be tortured by the Romans, Judas will be so tortured by his own act of betrayal that he will hang himself and fall to the rocks below. Jesus is betrayed by one of his closest friends, and he sees Judas leaving and then says, the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. But before he goes to the Father, Jesus gives his disciples a new commandment, a familiar commandment, but with a new purpose and a new reason. He says, I'm about to die. Listen here, disciples, dial into what I'm about to tell you. 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. Up until now, Jesus says, everybody knows that you are my disciples because they see you following me around in Judea and Galilee and Jerusalem, but now I will not be here any longer. The mark of your discipleship then will no longer be following me around. It will be loving others. Jesus's command to believe on him and to love each other are inseparable. Jesus tells his disciples and he tells us today that love for the brethren confirms that our profession of faith is real. Jesus tells them this is the defining characteristic of those who will follow me. You will love one another. And we'll see this repeated all

throughout John's writings. In 1 John 4, 7, and 8, John says, Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. We know that we have passed out of death into life, that's salvation, because we love the brethren. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. Jesus will explain in the chapters to come that the commandment to love each other is only possible to those who abide and remain in his love. That love of Jesus is obvious as he washes the disciples' feet, but even more so the following evening

as he dies for their sins and for our sins if we're in Christ. Stay dialed in.