MARKED BY LOVE
John 13
What is the most convincing mark that sets people apart as followers of Jesus?
What is the “badge of discipleship?”
In O.T. Abraham taught God’s people that they were to be set apart by circumcision–a physical evidence demonstrating that Israel was set apart as followers of Yahweh.
Throughout, O.T., other signs and evidences were introduced that set Israel apart as His followers.
In N.T., the “badge of discipleship” is no longer a physical evidence or sign that we’ve been set apart as followers of Jesus.
Our “badge’ is an internal one.
Jesus lays the foundation for that new badge of discipleship in John 13.
As Jesus prepares for His departure, He issues a “new command”–a new “badge of discipleship” that will set His faithful followers apart, so that those who are watching us can tell that we are His disciples.
OPPOSITION TO THE SON OF GOD 5-12
After Jesus completed His comments concerning His rejection, He turned from His public ministry to give His attention to His disciples.
INSTRUCTION BY THE SON OF GOD 13-16
In the upper room, the night before His death, Jesus instructs His followers in preparation for their ministry after His departure.
WASHING OF THE DISCIPLES’ FEET 13:1-20
Jesus washes His disciples’ feet to give us an example of the need to serve one another.
Those who follow Jesus will lay aside their own rights and desires to serve one another.
JESUS DEMONSTRATES HIS LOVE FOR HIS FOLLOWERS 1-11
His demonstration of love 1-5
1 Now before the Feast of the Passover,
Jesus
knowing that His hour had come that He should depart out of this world to the Father,
having loved His own who were in the world,
He loved them to the end. [the extreme; to the uttermost]
2 And during supper,
the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him,
3 Jesus,
knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands,
and that He had come forth from God, and was going back to God,
4 *rose from supper, and *laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself about.
5 Then He *poured water into the basin,
and began to wash the disciples’ feet,
and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.
His dialogue with Peter 6-11
6 And so He *came to Simon Peter. He *said to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?”
[sg.] 7 Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you shall understand hereafter.”
8 Peter *said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet [ever–until eternity!]!”
Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”
9 Simon Peter *said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.”
10 Jesus *said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean;
[pl.] and you are clean,
but not all of you.”
11 For He knew the one who was betraying Him;
for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.”
JESUS TEACHES HIS FOLLOWERS TO IMITATE HIS EXAMPLE
BY LOVING HIS FOLLOWERS 12-17
12 And so when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments, and reclined at the table again,
He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?
13 “You call Me Teacher and Lord;
and you are right, for so I am.
14 “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet,
you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
15 “For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.
16 “Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master;
neither is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.
17 “If you know these things,
you are blessed if you do them.
Jesus has modeled what our love for one another ought to look like.
We will be blessed if we imitate what He has just modeled!
It’s not people who KNOW it who are blessed;
it’s people who DO it!
NOT EVERYONE WHO FOLLOWED JESUS AROUND WAS A COMMITTED FOLLOWER OF JESUS 18-19
18 “I do not speak of all of you.
[ => “It isn’t concerning all of you that I say: “I know the ones I’ve chosen”]
You won’t all experience this blessing.
You won’t all DO as I have done.
You won’t all show love like that.
In fact, one of you is going to betray me!
I know the ones I have chosen;
but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled,
‘He who eats My bread has lifted up his heel against Me.’
19 “From now on I am telling you before it comes to pass,
so that when it does occur,
you may believe that I am He.
PEOPLE WHO WELCOME JESUS’ FOLLOWERS, WELCOME HIM 20
Our concern for one another demonstrates our concern for Him, and for the Father.
20 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives [welcomes] whomever I send receives [welcomes] Me;
and he who receives [welcomes] Me receives [welcomes] Him who sent Me.”
Welcome the Father => welcome the Son => welcome whomever I send ]
Love drives them to welcome Jesus, and those He sends.
Lack of love drives Judas to betray the master!
As far as the other followers could tell, Judas was a committed follower of Jesus.
PREDICTION OF HIS BETRAYAL 13:21-30
In order that they might not be disillusioned, but might trust Him, Jesus predicts several major events related to His death.
As a demonstration of His omniscience, and as a warning to Judas, He announces His betrayal.
ONE OF JESUS’ “FOLLOWERS” HAD ALL THE OTHERS FOOLED 21-30
Though the disciples attempted to discover who would betray Jesus,
no one suspected that Judas would be the one
–even with the clue Jesus gave! He had everybody fooled!
He was trusted.
He stands out as “lover of the purse”–always careful about money–guarded it carefully!
He wasn’t the “lover of the Lord!”–but no one ever suspected!
21 When Jesus had said this,
He became troubled in spirit, and testified, and said,
“Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.”
22 The disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know of which one He was speaking.
23 There was reclining on Jesus’ breast one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.
24 Simon Peter therefore *gestured to him, and *said to him, “Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking.”
25 He, leaning back thus on Jesus’ breast, *said to Him, “Lord, who is it?”
26 Jesus therefore *answered, “That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him.”
So when He had dipped the morsel,
He *took and *gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.
27 And after the morsel,
Satan then entered into him.
Jesus therefore *said to him, “What you do, do quickly.”
28 Now no one of those reclining at the table knew for what purpose He had said this to him.
29 For some were supposing, because Judas had the money box,
that Jesus was saying to him, “Buy the things we have need of for the feast”;
or else, that he should give something to the poor.
30 And so after receiving the morsel he went out immediately; and it was night.
In spite of Judas’ lack of love for the Lord, and his betrayal, Jesus demonstrates love by reaching out to a sinner who didn’t deserve it!
Jesus extends the morsel to Judas–an act of love!
PREPARATION FOR HIS DEATH 13:31-38
THE TIME FOR GLORY ARRIVES 31-32
After Judas left, the Lord announced that the time had come for Him to glorify the Father (31-33).
This would be accomplished by His death.
31 When therefore he had gone out,
Jesus *said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him;
32 if God is glorified in Him,
God will also glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him immediately.
FINAL WORD: JESUS COMMANDS HIS FOLLOWERS: LOVE ONE ANOTHER 33-35
Jesus was going to leave them, but they should continue to evidence their relationship to Him by their love for one another (34-35).
Announcement of His departure: “I am leaving you” 33
33 “Little children, I am with you a little while longer.
You shall seek Me;
and as I said to the Jews, I now say to you also,
‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’
The badge of discipleship: Love for one another 34-35
“You keep on loving one another” **imitate my example**
That’s how people will know that you are my followers.
34 “A new commandment I give to you,
that you love one another, even as I have loved you,
that you also love one another.
35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples,
if you have love for one another.”
Disciples of Abraham are marked by circumcision.
Disciples of Moses are marked by keeping the Sabbath.
Disciples of John the Baptist are marked by John’s baptism.
Disciples of Jesus are marked by love for one another!
In 1 John, the writer demonstrates that the world will NEVER love Jesus’ followers.
They don’t love Him–they won’t love His followers!
The fact that we love one another demonstrates that we belong to Him.
LESSONS FOR FAITHFUL FOLLOWERS:
God has established a new badge of discipleship for those who want to be known as faithful followers of Jesus: that we love one another!
Only the Holy Spirit can produce that badge in us.
Throughout the Upper Room Discourse Jesus emphasizes importance of love for one another.
In His prayer for His followers, that’s His prayer: that we will love one another.
While we may not be naturally attracted to one another, people who are followers of Jesus will be identified by the “badge of discipleship.”–we will love one another!
While we may not always deserve that demonstration of love, faithful followers of Jesus will demonstrate that we are His followers by loving one another–even when we don’t deserve it!
Just like He did!
To the extent that Jesus’ followers fail to love one another,
the world has the right not to believe us!
If we are His followers, we will love one another!
Satan’s followers love self!
Jesus’ followers love one another!
How are we doing? Can those watching us tell that we are following Jesus?
We may be believers in Christ–we may have eternal life by trusting Him, without caring much about one another!
But we can’t be faithful, committed followers of Jesus.
His disciples wear their badge!
We love one another!
Do we really care about one another?