John 13:18-30 | mysite

John 13:18-30

Jesus Predicts His Betrayal

“I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture: ‘He who shared my bread has turned against me.”

“I am telling you now before it happens; so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am. Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”

After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.”

His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.”

Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”

Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.

So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor. As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.

*******

In the previous section, we learned some things about Judas.

The devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus.
When Jesus said that they were clean, Jesus said about him, “though not every one of you.”He knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not everyone was clean.

There are other references to Judas in the book of John as well.

John 6:64, "But there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him.
John 12:4-6, “But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.”

One consistent theme in the book of John is that those who do not believe in Jesus, fail to do so because of one reason in particular.

Greed.

Material gain.

The high priests are so obsessed with financial gain that they had set up sales for obligatory sacrifices filling both Temple court yards with their shops, even where they perform the sacrifices. The High Priest Annas was deposed because of his greed, but he still controlled everything, installing his son in law as high priest.

In John 11:47 to 48, after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, the Pharisees said, “What are we gaining?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him,”

In John 12:9, The Pharisees admit that the whole world was following Jesus and they were GAINING nothing.

Now we come to this passage where Jesus predicts his betrayal in the gospel of John. We notice that where the other gospels have just a sentence or two, John has a whole discourse.

Jesus starts off by saying, “this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture: ‘He who shared my bread has turned against me.’

Jesus is referring to a Psalm, Psalm 41:9, where it says,

“Even my close friend,
someone I trusted,
one who shared my bread,
has turned against me.”

We may want to note that this Psalm also says other things that were true in the life of Jesus.

“My enemies say of me in malice,
    “When will he die and his name perish?”
When one of them comes to see me,
    he speaks falsely, while his heart gathers slander;
    then he goes out and spreads it around.

All my enemies whisper together against me;
they imagine the worst for me, saying,
“A vile disease has afflicted him;
he will never get up from the place where he lies.”

Jesus’ enemies, the Pharisees, also wished him dead, slandered him, and guarded his grave hoping he would never get up from his grave. Did that work?

This Psalm also says, “Because of my integrity you uphold me
and set me in your presence forever.”

And God did set Jesus in his presence forever.

Jesus continues as follows:

First of all, Jesus assures them that he is telling them something before it happens. He also says that he is telling them this so when it happens, they will believe that he is who he is. Notice how he says this.

“You will believe that I am who I am.”

“I am who I am.”

In the Greek, this is simply “ego eimi,” or “I AM.”

Literally translated it is, “You will believe that I am.” The direct object is missing in the sentence. That is because it implies what was said in Hebrew.

The Greek is once again alluding to the name of God, Yahuweh, “I am who I am,” or, “I was, I am, I will be.”

JESUS HIMSELF says "I Am" ( Greek ego eimi) forty–five times in John's Gospel, including when other characters quote Jesus' words.

With Jesus saying “I am” in this way, it brings to mind the following Old Testament passages:

Exod 3:14 – God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And he said, "Say this to the people of Israel, I AM has sent me to you."
Exod 6:2 – And God said to Moses, "I am the LORD."
Deut 32:39a – "See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me;"
Isa 48:12 – "Hearken to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I called! I am He, I am the first, and I am the last."

Twenty-four times in the book of John, Jesus says this emphatically, that is, in a way that emphasizes the “I am.”

To the Samaritan Woman at Jacob's well near the town of Sychar:
4:26 – Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am (he)." [lit. "I am, the one speaking with you."]

To his disciples in the boat while Jesus is walking on the Sea of Galilee:
6:20 – but he said to them, "It is I (lit. "I Am"); do not be afraid." (cf. Mark 6:50; Matt 14:27)

To "the Jews" in Jerusalem at the Feast of Tabernacles:
8:24 – "I told you that you would die in your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am (he)."

8:28 – So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of man, then you will know that I am (he), and that I do nothing on my own authority but speak thus as the Father taught me."

8:58 – Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am."

To his disciples at the Last Supper in Jerusalem:
13:19 – "I tell you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am (he)."

To the soldiers and guards who come to arrest Jesus in the Garden in the Kidron Valley (Gethsemane):
18:5 – They answered him, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus said to them, "I am." Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them.

18:6 – When he said to them, "I am," they drew back and fell to the ground.

18:8 – Jesus answered, "I told you that I am (he); so, if you seek me, let these men go."

To the crowds in Galilee after the Feeding of the 5000 (in the "Bread of Life Discourse"):
6:35 – Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst."

6:41 – The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven."

6:48 – "I am the bread of life."

6:51 –"I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh."

To "the Jews" in Jerusalem at the Feast of Tabernacles:
8:12 – Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (cf. 9:5 – "I am the light of the world", but grammatically unemphatically, without "ego"; see also John 1:4-5, 9; 12:46)

8:18 – "I bear witness to myself (literally: "I am the one bearing witness to myself") to myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness to me."

8:23 (twice) – He said to them, "You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world."

To "the Jews" just after Jesus gives sight to the Man Born Blind (the "Good Shepherd Discourse"):
10:7 – So Jesus again said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep."

10:9 – "I am the door; if any one enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture."

10:11 –"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."

10:14 –"I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me,"

To Martha of Bethany, just before Jesus raises her brother Lazarus back to life:
11:25 – Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live," (cf. 5:24; 8:51

To his disciples at their last meal together (the "Last Supper Discourse"):
14:6 – Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me." (cf. 8:32)

15:1 – "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser."

15:5 – "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."

At the beginning of the gospel of John, we noted that the other gospels led you to believe that Jesus is God. One could read the other gospels and ask, “Did Jesus really teach that he is God?” Here, we find that the gospel of John answers that question, and very emphatically so. Yes! Jesus is God, he is the great “I am.”

Jesus has been saying that he will be crucified. In the last chapter, Jesus said the hour has come. What a reassuring statement for Jesus to say that you may believe that “I AM.” That is, for him to say “Yahuweh – I was, I am, I will be.”

Then Jesus looks beyond the fact that they will believe who Jesus is to its application to the future. He says, “Whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.” This is looking to the great commission that Jesus is going to give his disciples. He is assuring them that when they will be accepted, that Jesus will be accepted also. He is giving them assurance in advance that there will be success when preaching the gospel.

Then Jesus seems to be troubled and says, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.”

Imagine being there in person. Jesus has a tightknit group of disciples. Jesus has proven who he is by the miracles and signs. All 12 disciples have witnessed these miracles. The Pharisees want to kill him because he is creating a great following. And now, Jesus is saying one of the 12 is going to betray him?

Shock.

Horror.

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

Other gospels record their shock when they all ask, “Is it I master?”

“One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him.”

Who is the disciple whom Jesus loved?

Which disciple did Jesus love?

Didn’t Jesus love all the disciples?

Yes he did. John uses “the disciple Jesus loved” to refer to himself. John referred to himself in this way because he was so overwhelmed with the love of Jesus.

“Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.”

So John complies.

Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”

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

There are only a few things more intimate than feeding each other. This is how close Jesus and his disciples were. It was common, in Jesus’ time, for them to dip their bread on the dish to pick up whatever food might be on their dish. They didn’t have forks and spoons back then. Also, during this whole week, they would have had no leavened or raised bread. This means that the bread would have been hard and dipping the bread would have been more like scooping. So, dipping the bread on the dish and handing it to another certainly would have been feeding another.

“As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.”

So, as soon as Judas took the bread, he was intent on betraying Jesus.

“So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor. As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.”

So this all happens very quickly. Jesus tells John that it is the one that he will give the bread after dipping it. Jesus dips the bread, gives it to Judas, and says, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” Judas takes the bread and leaves. No one else at the meal knew that Judas would betray Jesus except Jesus and John at this point. But all the disciples, including John think that Judas is leaving to buy something needed for the festival. What the disciples do not know is that Judas already plotted with the Pharisees to betray Jesus.

Why did Judas betray Jesus? What was going through his mind?

Perhaps all that ever went through Judas’ mind was how that he could profit off of Jesus. He had already been pilfering the community chest. Now, it may have seemed certain to him that the Pharisees were going to eventually arrest Jesus and kill him anyway. So, Judas must have thought, “Why not profit off of that as well?”

Sometimes in our personal life, we must ask, “Do we love God, or do we love what God does for us?”

It’s worth asking ourselves:

What happens to my relationship with God when he isn’t giving me the things I think I need in order to be happy?
Have I ever complained to God that I’ve got it a lot worse than people who aren’t Christians, or people I feel are less mature or servant-hearted Christians?

It’s so easy to betray Jesus in the ordinary course of life. If you choose to believe the lie that Jesus isn’t enough, or if you believe that he isn’t living up to your expectations, it’s a subtle but real form of betrayal. It’s so easy to make big promises to God on Sunday, only to see them crumble when you are with your co-workers on Monday morning, or meeting up with friends on Tuesday evening.

But the call to follow Jesus is a call to endure and even suffer for his sake. It’s a call to deny what’s easiest for you, and give up earthly comfort; a call to follow him and trust the course that he sets even when it seems that it’s not “working”

Judas betrayed Jesus. He has gone down in history as the ultimate villain. Why?

We never see Judas ask for forgiveness or turn to live for God. He just felt remorse, and it sent him to his death.

Judas was not rooted in Jesus. Judas was rooted in Judas. Judas helped himself for material gain. And he was one of Jesus’ disciples. Throughout Christianity there have been other Judases. The material gain that Judas sought may not necessarily have been for money. Judas’ last name was Iscariot. Iscariot refers to the “dagger men,” or zealots that wanted to overthrow the Roman rule. Judas may have turned Jesus in to expedite political gain. People were following Jesus to leave peaceful lives. Overthrowing the Romans was not one of Jesus’ objectives. Jesus taught to respect the Roman rule and pay their taxes. This was a distraction from the political goal of overthrowing the Romans.

Even today, we have people who betray Jesus for gain in other areas. There are:

The opportunistic money grabbers.
- Let me give an example of this.There was a pastor in West Michigan that had a daughter that ran away from home.The church was also growing, and needed a larger building.A member gave the pastor a check for one million dollars.The pastor cashed the check and used the money to hire detectives to find his daughter.
Those that position their religion for political gain or posturing.
- For instance, these people may hold joint religious efforts with those of other religions which may even be in complete opposition to Christianity, even to the point of inviting other non-Christian leaders to preach their non-Christian messages or pray their anti-Christian prayers in the Christian Church.
Those that water down the gospel or God’s Word for political or social posturing.
- For instance, there are those that will proclaim that certain sins clearly explained in the Bible are not really a sin.There are churches – if you can call them that – that routinely make getting high on marijuana a regular part of their services.
- Also, there are those that secretly practice sin on a regular basis behind the scenes.One instance I can think of is a typically highly conservative church that ran a key club.
Those that fail to stand up for their fellow Christians when their fellow Christians are being persecuted.
- For instance, someone ridicules a Christian in public for his faith.Do you speak up for that Christian?
Those that follow false prophets.Jesus is the last prophet.Jesus gave his last revelation in the book of Revelation, and gave a warning for anyone that would add to it.Jesus lives!Others that claim to be a prophet since Jesus’ book of Revelation will lead you astray. Others that preach a message contrary to Jesus’ message will lead you astray.

The world continues to attack Jesus.

The world keeps trying to creep into the church of Jesus.

All of these attacks erode the Christian values that made Western civilization a peaceful and safe society.

Jesus said he told these things about his betrayal so we would believe who he is.

We need to be rooted in Jesus.

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