John 13, Part 2

Scripture: John 13:21-30

Observation: Betrayal is a painful thing; it was no less so for Jesus, who knew who His betrayer was and what the result of that betrayal would be. Jesus was troubled in spirit because of it (v.21). He told His disciples that one of them would betray Him, but none had any idea of whom He spoke. Their curiosity was mounting, especially Peter's. However, Peter had already been rebuked during the footwashing, and probably didn't want to make another scene. So instead he motioned to the disciple next to Jesus, "the one whom Jesus loved" (v.23), to ask for the identity of the betrayer. Jesus told the disciple, "It is the one to whom I give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish." (v.26). We understand this disciple, John, was the only one who knew the betrayer's identity, since Jesus tells Judas, whom He'd given the bread to, to do what he was going to do (v.27) but the others at the table didn't know what Jesus was talking about (v.28). They didn't know what Jesus knew: that the devil had taken over in Judas's life. And so Judas left, and the moment of truth began.

Application: Judas must have been sitting very close to Jesus. Verse 26 says Jesus dipped the bread and passed it to Judas Himself. The thought that comes to mind is, How could someone that close to Jesus betray Him? The reason is simply this: Judas had a thought, an evil desire, and rather than turning it out of his mind or confessing it to the Lord, he kept thinking about it. There were many times he could have said, "No, I won't do this." Even at the moment when Jesus gave him the bread, Judas could have felt remorse, regret, and repented, but he chose satan over Jesus. Evil comes into our minds, thoughts that are unpleasing to God. We need to replace these with pure thoughts right away (Philippians 4:8), before they take root in our hearts.

Prayer: Father, the enemy's attacks are subtle and at times hard to see at first glance. Your Word tells me what is noble and true. May I focus on You when thoughts that are displeasing enter my head. Influences for evil are everywhere, no matter where I go, but if I hide Your Word in my heart I will be safe. Let Your Word be my guide in all I do, and whenever I'm going astray, remind me of what Your Word says, so that I may get back where You want me to be. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.