John 13:21–30
21 After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in His spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom He spoke. 23 One of His disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus’ side, 24 so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom He was speaking. 25 So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to Him, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this 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. 27 Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” 28 Now no one at the table knew why He said this to him. 29 Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. 30 So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.
Whenever we think of the subject of betrayal the first thought or name that usually comes to mind is Judas. In fact, the kiss of betrayal of Judas is the most famous kiss in all of history.
What makes this one betrayal so famous? Was it because of whom he betrayed?
Certainly that’s an important part of it, but Judas made history because of who he was - a follower and close friend of the one he betrayed.
Most betrayers come as enemy outsiders, so when the traitor is found to be one from the inside who has been with Jesus from the very beginning the world took notice.
Nothing could be worse than to be turned over to your enemies by one of your own. Not only was Judas one of the disciples, but he was probably the most trusted one of them all. How do we know this? Judas was the treasurer. He was trusted with the money and with managing all their resources.
Better yet, he was their friend. He was ‘one of them.’
He had walked hundreds of miles with them and sat talking around the fires at night with them and slept out under the stars with them.
Judas was there at the wedding in Cana when Jesus turned water into wine and he was there when more than 5,000 people were fed with one little boy’s picnic lunch.
He saw the lame man pick up his mat and walk and he watched the blind man’s eyes focus for the first time. He was there when Jesus shouted for Lazarus to come out of his tomb. He was there in the upper room and he was one who had his feet washed by Jesus.
Betrayal by strangers is hard enough, but betrayal by those closest to us can be absolutely devastating. It destroys trust, it robs the past, and it can even deaden the heart towards ever trusting again.
But why do we remember Judas so well? Have we forgotten that in the middle of the night in the Garden of Gethsemane the rest of the disciples betrayed Jesus by running away after His arrest?
Have we forgotten that the people who laid palm branches in front of Him when He entered Jerusalem and shouted "hosanna" would later betray Him with shouts of "give us Barabbas?"
Physical pain is one thing, but for Jesus to experience the pain of being abandoned by those who were closest to Him, to be stabbed in the back by those who knew Him best - no wonder the nails that were driven through His hands and feet were so excruciating.
Even with the pain, Jesus knew how to respond to those who inflicted it upon Him. When it came to Judas, Jesus could have told him to leave the upper room, but instead Jesus not only let him in, but He washed his feet and gave him the food of the Passover to eat.
By washing his feet and feeding him, Jesus shows us that Judas is not excluded from being His friend. Jesus included Judas until Judas decided to exclude himself from Jesus. That is the nature of God.
Jesus was the Messiah, who washed His friends’ feet - knowing full well one of them would betray Him - and who fed them their supper - knowing full well one of them would betray Him.
He was the Lord, who went on giving Himself away to the ones who would give Him away, because His faithfulness did not depend on theirs.
When Jesus dipped the piece of bread in His cup and handed it to Judas, He not only revealed who Judas was, He also revealed who He was. The one who feeds His enemies - who goes on treating them as friends - loving them to the very end.
Jesus Christ, whose death-defying love knows no end, shows us that He is the food and drink that saves our lives. He is the one who can thaw out our frozen hearts by taking them into His own.
Jesus is the broken, poured-out one who gives Himself to us, offering to feed us again and again despite the many times we betray Him.
Jesus wants us to learn from Him from this night in the upper room. Although betrayed by one He loved, Jesus responded with love and compassion.
Although we will never be betrayed to the extent that Jesus was, we are often let down by those we trust, and we can learn from Jesus how to respond during those times in our lives. He wants us to respond as He did.
So how do we react to betrayal?
First, by understanding that shock and anger is a normal response to betrayal. In John 13:21, it says that "Jesus was troubled in spirit." the Greek word for "troubled" means "stirred to anger or agitated."
Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him later that night. Knowing this, Jesus was shocked and angered - not at Judas, but because of the victory evil had in the soul of Judas.
What Jesus shows us here is that there is nothing wrong with being angry as long as we don’t stay angry and let it consume us.
Ephesians 4:26-27 says, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.”
The first way we respond to betrayal is knowing that shock and anger is a normal reaction.
The second way we respond to betrayal is to turn the shock and anger into love and compassion. Look at how Jesus treated Judas, despite knowing what was to come.
Jesus still washed the feet of Judas. Jesus still served Judas the Passover meal.
Paul wrote in Romans 12:20-21, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
After Judas left the upper room, Jesus taught the remaining disciples a very important lesson. John 13:34-35, “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.”
When we are betrayed, instead of returning anger for anger, curse for curse or calculating our revenge, Jesus said we are to respond with His form of love.
He said this in Matthew 5:43-48, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
It is how we respond to betrayal which testifies to our love of Christ, and the second way we respond to betrayal is to turn the shock and anger into love and compassion.
When someone betrays us we must not also betray ourselves by giving in to anger, revenge, hate or despair that betrayal can produce in our hearts.
We will betray ourselves if we give in and give up. Although the sting of betrayal still hurts, we take our pain to Jesus Christ who already knows from experience how excruciating this pain really is.
Romans 12:21 again: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
21 After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in His spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom He spoke. 23 One of His disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus’ side, 24 so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom He was speaking. 25 So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to Him, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this 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. 27 Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” 28 Now no one at the table knew why He said this to him. 29 Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. 30 So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.
Whenever we think of the subject of betrayal the first thought or name that usually comes to mind is Judas. In fact, the kiss of betrayal of Judas is the most famous kiss in all of history.
What makes this one betrayal so famous? Was it because of whom he betrayed?
Certainly that’s an important part of it, but Judas made history because of who he was - a follower and close friend of the one he betrayed.
Most betrayers come as enemy outsiders, so when the traitor is found to be one from the inside who has been with Jesus from the very beginning the world took notice.
Nothing could be worse than to be turned over to your enemies by one of your own. Not only was Judas one of the disciples, but he was probably the most trusted one of them all. How do we know this? Judas was the treasurer. He was trusted with the money and with managing all their resources.
Better yet, he was their friend. He was ‘one of them.’
He had walked hundreds of miles with them and sat talking around the fires at night with them and slept out under the stars with them.
Judas was there at the wedding in Cana when Jesus turned water into wine and he was there when more than 5,000 people were fed with one little boy’s picnic lunch.
He saw the lame man pick up his mat and walk and he watched the blind man’s eyes focus for the first time. He was there when Jesus shouted for Lazarus to come out of his tomb. He was there in the upper room and he was one who had his feet washed by Jesus.
Betrayal by strangers is hard enough, but betrayal by those closest to us can be absolutely devastating. It destroys trust, it robs the past, and it can even deaden the heart towards ever trusting again.
But why do we remember Judas so well? Have we forgotten that in the middle of the night in the Garden of Gethsemane the rest of the disciples betrayed Jesus by running away after His arrest?
Have we forgotten that the people who laid palm branches in front of Him when He entered Jerusalem and shouted "hosanna" would later betray Him with shouts of "give us Barabbas?"
Physical pain is one thing, but for Jesus to experience the pain of being abandoned by those who were closest to Him, to be stabbed in the back by those who knew Him best - no wonder the nails that were driven through His hands and feet were so excruciating.
Even with the pain, Jesus knew how to respond to those who inflicted it upon Him. When it came to Judas, Jesus could have told him to leave the upper room, but instead Jesus not only let him in, but He washed his feet and gave him the food of the Passover to eat.
By washing his feet and feeding him, Jesus shows us that Judas is not excluded from being His friend. Jesus included Judas until Judas decided to exclude himself from Jesus. That is the nature of God.
Jesus was the Messiah, who washed His friends’ feet - knowing full well one of them would betray Him - and who fed them their supper - knowing full well one of them would betray Him.
He was the Lord, who went on giving Himself away to the ones who would give Him away, because His faithfulness did not depend on theirs.
When Jesus dipped the piece of bread in His cup and handed it to Judas, He not only revealed who Judas was, He also revealed who He was. The one who feeds His enemies - who goes on treating them as friends - loving them to the very end.
Jesus Christ, whose death-defying love knows no end, shows us that He is the food and drink that saves our lives. He is the one who can thaw out our frozen hearts by taking them into His own.
Jesus is the broken, poured-out one who gives Himself to us, offering to feed us again and again despite the many times we betray Him.
Jesus wants us to learn from Him from this night in the upper room. Although betrayed by one He loved, Jesus responded with love and compassion.
Although we will never be betrayed to the extent that Jesus was, we are often let down by those we trust, and we can learn from Jesus how to respond during those times in our lives. He wants us to respond as He did.
So how do we react to betrayal?
First, by understanding that shock and anger is a normal response to betrayal. In John 13:21, it says that "Jesus was troubled in spirit." the Greek word for "troubled" means "stirred to anger or agitated."
Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him later that night. Knowing this, Jesus was shocked and angered - not at Judas, but because of the victory evil had in the soul of Judas.
What Jesus shows us here is that there is nothing wrong with being angry as long as we don’t stay angry and let it consume us.
Ephesians 4:26-27 says, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.”
The first way we respond to betrayal is knowing that shock and anger is a normal reaction.
The second way we respond to betrayal is to turn the shock and anger into love and compassion. Look at how Jesus treated Judas, despite knowing what was to come.
Jesus still washed the feet of Judas. Jesus still served Judas the Passover meal.
Paul wrote in Romans 12:20-21, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
After Judas left the upper room, Jesus taught the remaining disciples a very important lesson. John 13:34-35, “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.”
When we are betrayed, instead of returning anger for anger, curse for curse or calculating our revenge, Jesus said we are to respond with His form of love.
He said this in Matthew 5:43-48, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
It is how we respond to betrayal which testifies to our love of Christ, and the second way we respond to betrayal is to turn the shock and anger into love and compassion.
When someone betrays us we must not also betray ourselves by giving in to anger, revenge, hate or despair that betrayal can produce in our hearts.
We will betray ourselves if we give in and give up. Although the sting of betrayal still hurts, we take our pain to Jesus Christ who already knows from experience how excruciating this pain really is.
Romans 12:21 again: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”