Mid-week Prayer Focus
How the World Knows JC’s Followers
John 13:18-35
Pastor Wes
Join our Facebook page to keep in touch.
In the previous message, I presented the idea that Jesus wasn’t just promoting service in humility to others through His example of washing the disciples’ feet. I believe His actions and words lead us to see the spiritual application that we are also to serve each other by humbly, in a non-judgmental way, wash each other’s feet in a spiritual sense. If you missed that, check it out by watching the video, or reading through the transcript.
If we continue reading through the text of John 13, we’ll see that after Jesus washes the disciples’ feet, he re-emphasizes His knowledge that one of them will betray Him. And it grieves His heart, verse 21…
So here they are in the upper room, reclining at the table, Jesus having been proclaimed King of Israel just 4 days earlier, yet instead of attending to kingly duties, He attends to a lowly slave duty and washes their feet, and then like a FBI action thriller movie he says there’s a mole in the room.
This must have been shocking for all the disciples, and Judas in this moment is probably sweating bullets. Now the author of this gospel book, John, was considered to of had the closest personal relationship with Jesus. He’s referred to as the “one whom Jesus loved.” Obviously, Jesus loved all of His disciples, but there was a special bond of friendship between He and John. Peter knew this of course, and perhaps while the other disciples are clamoring about who the traitor is, Peter leans over to John, maybe whispering, and asks John to find out who it is. John then leans over to Jesus and says “Lord, who is it?” (verse 25). Jesus responds in verse 26 that He would point out the traitor by passing Him a morsel of food. I assume this is all done on the downlow, perhaps only Jesus, Peter, and John at this point know the coded words and actions taking place. I imagine Jesus saying something like, hey Judas, have another piece, and then passes him the morsel of food.
Jesus follows up giving Judas the food with the words “What you do, do quickly.” (verse 27) Judas then leaves, and John admits to us in verses 28 and 29 that no one at that time, himself included, knew exactly what Jesus meant by that, nor did they know where Judas was going or what he was doing.
Now in the emotional stress of this moment, foreseeing the torturous death on the cross ahead of Him, tasting the bitterness of betrayal, troubled in spirit, yet perhaps relieved now that His betrayer has left the room- Jesus then focuses on the good that will come out of all this yuckiness. Verse 31-32…
Jesus focuses on the glory- His Glory and God’s Glory. This is really an incredible principle for us as believers to realize. Jesus, in the midst of gut-wrenching circumstances, pulls His mind out of the dark place, and focuses on the eternal- He focuses on the reality of the glory to come through His endurance of incredibly difficult circumstances. You and I can do the same. No matter the yucky, dark, difficult circumstances we encounter, we can focus on the eternal glory we will receive for our perseverance, and the glory God will receive through our perseverance.
Now picture yourself in Jesus’ shoes. The unjust hatred, being betrayed, your closest friends don’t really understand, you know all the torture you are about to experience, and you spend some of your last hours washing the feet of these guys who don’t appreciate (yet) all that has happened and is about to happen. I would sense myself becoming a little bitter here in this moment. And without focusing on the glory, my frustration would probably begin to leak out on those around me. But Jesus here, utilizing the “Glory Filter” says something incredible, something that was probably extremely difficult to say amidst the circumstances. Verses 34 and 35…
Wow. Jesus doesn’t re-emphasize and say “love your enemies” (Matt. 5:44) like He said in the sermon on the mount- which perhaps would be more fitting in this particular moment. An enemy that no one even realized, has left- Judas- and now that He is gone, Jesus looks at His disciples, the “church” He has been investing in over the past 3 years, and commands them to love one another with the love He has shown them. Yes, we are still to love enemies, but there’s a higher, deeper love His followers are to have for each other- perhaps a deeper love much like the deeper love expressed between Jesus and John. He adds that this love will be defining characteristic to all people. This love will show to the world who are the students/followers/disciples of Jesus. His church, His followers are to take such good care of each other that the rest of the world, perhaps without any other identifiers, would assume they are followers of Jesus.
Their defining characteristic wouldn’t be a steeple, a cross necklace, a church building, nor the day and time of day they would gather together. Their defining characteristic wouldn’t be the songs they sing, the traditions they would form, the denomination association they would align themselves with. The defining characteristic that would point to Jesus, would be His follower’s love for each other.
With Judas betraying them and Jesus leaving earth, the disciples would later have reason to question each other’s motives, doubt each other sincerity, disagree, second guess, power grab, continue the conversation about who was greatest- but Jesus preemptively commands them to love one another with the level of love He has expressed to them. Not just love- not just tolerate and respect type of love- but love as in His level of love. His level of love includes sharing life, friendship, healing, sacrifice, service, forgiveness, patience, endurance.
The question I want to ask you is, are you loving Jesus’ followers with His level of love? My prayer for you is that through difficulty, hurt, betrayal, injustice- even seeing pain ahead- that you would be able to focus on the glory to come and love other Christ-followers with the love of Jesus.