If you will recall, at the conclusion of our text for last Sunday, Jesus had begun to tell the disciples that someone was going to betray him. Not only was someone going to betray him, but it was going to be someone close to him. In fact, all of this would come about to fulfill the words of the Old Testament. In Psalm 41, King David, inspired by God, writes the words, “Even a close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.” Here in our text for today, Jesus tells them that not only is his betrayer close to him, but that he is in fact one of his disciples, one of the twelve.
So often, we forget that our Savior was human. No, we don’t deny his humanity in the same sense that the heresy known as Docetism does, but we forget that Jesus had the full array of human feelings and emotions. We’re told here that as he’s telling his disciple of this impending betrayal that he is “troubled in his spirit.” Now we’ve seen this phrase before in John’s gospel and we noted that it carries with it a sense that Jesus is very much pained and deeply moved by what is on his mind. It is visible to John, the author of the gospel, that Jesus is troubled by what he is telling them. Even though we commonly think of Jesus as never showing emotion, that isn’t the case, especially not here.
My wife tells me all the time to stop being a guy and just be honest with her. Now, let me clarify that statement a little bit before just leaving it up to your imaginations. There’s something that is hardwired in me where I’m not supposed to ever let my wife (or anyone else for that matter) know when something is bothering me. It’s a trait that unfortunately seems very present in many men, and even more to the point seems to only get worse with marriage and kids. However, there are times, despite my best efforts to remain stoic, that my wife can obviously see that there is something wrong with me. I may think that I am holding it together so that no one is any the wiser, but she can see it as plain as day in my face and hear it in my voice that there is something that is not right with me. John has that insight and understanding here when it comes to Jesus and what he is feeling at this time. John can see and hear in Jesus that it pains him to say these words and to know what is about to come.
Obviously, as the disciples hear Jesus say that one of them is going to betray him, they become very interested in finding out who it is. We’re told that Simon Peter even has the disciple whom Jesus loved (most likely John) ask Jesus point blank who he was referencing when he made his statement about an impending betrayal. Now, what comes next is a little puzzling to many Christians today, at least it can be if we do not read the text carefully. We’re told that Jesus responds to John's inquisition by saying that the betrayer is the one whom he will give the bread to. So, Jesus dips the bread into some type of liquid substance and then hands it to Judas. He then tells Judas to go and hurry and do what he has to do. Now, the confusing part if we’re not careful is that we would expect to then find words of outrage here on the part of the disciples directed towards Judas. However, we are specifically told that none of the disciples really knew what was going on. They didn’t know why Jesus told Judas to go and they certainly never become upset with him. You see, the words of Jesus about the betrayer being the one given the piece of bread were spoken only to John. John was sitting at Jesus’ right hand during this account. After John’s question, Jesus did not respond to the entire group, but he only leaned over to John and told him what was about to happen. So you see, it should not confuse us that none of the disciples were outraged at Jesus’ handing the bread to Judas.
Forgetting the scene from the disciples’ perspective for a moment I want to look at it from Jesus’ point of view. You see, Jesus had called Judas to be one of the twelve some three years prior. Over the course of those three years, Judas has seen the miracles: the feeding of the 5,000, the healing of paralyzed and sick men, the resurrection of Lazarus. Over the course of those three years, Judas has heard the teachings: the parables, he was front-and-center for the Sermon on the Mount. Over the course of those three years, Judas has been by Jesus’ side and been one of his closest confidantes. It’s no wonder that Jesus was pained by knowing what was to come with Judas’ betrayal.
Judas’ soon-to-be betrayal of Jesus after those three years teaches us what I view to be three very important lessons or things to remember when it comes to our own Christian living today. The first is that it takes more than a good example. As we just said, Judas has been right there sitting under Jesus for three years. If ever someone was going to learn about following Christ simply by being given a good example, it would have been one of the disciples. But you see, a person changing and being transformed is not a work that can be done alone. No, it is a work of the Holy Spirit, a work of God. A person cannot change themself and he/she most certainly cannot and will not change just by simply watching what someone else does. Almost a year ago we had some close friends run into some marital problems. Being a pastor and a pastor’s wife, we are commonly looked to as a source of assistance and counsel (although in many areas we’re just as ignorant as many others). In a conversation with the wife of this couple, she confided in Amy that we just made marriage look so easy. She saw how we acted with each other in public and thought she knew the entirety of our relationship. Amy laughed at her. She told her that we fight, we argue, we have our ups and downs just like everyone else. She shared with her some of the things that we have to do to make our marriage work, most of all that we anchor our marriage in the Lord. Simply observing us didn’t give her the entire story. I say this to point out that it’s impossible for us to learn simply by observing. We have to truly work at changing and understanding and growing. The biggest difference when it comes to something like marriage or living a healthier life and the Christian faith, is that we cannot do the majority of the work when it comes to our faith. All of the work that we put into is good, but that isn’t the extent of it. Sure, we can pray, read, study, worship, and numerous other religious practices, but true transformation is the work of the Holy Spirit alone.
The second thing that we are to learn from this account is that we cannot always tell who is saved. In our Presbyterian tradition, we could say that we cannot tell who is counted among the elect. I’m pretty certain that none of the disciples thought that the faith of Judas was any different from their own. Common sense would be to just assume that the twelve men who followed Jesus so closely would all be devoutly devoted to him. I mean these men faced hardships and persecution and ridicule for the sake of following Christ. You would think that if any of them were not completely committed to Christ that they would have had enough and fallen off at some point. At the very least, you would think that something would have happened at some point to give the other disciples some suspicion as to Judas’ commitment, or lack thereof. However, there is nothing to the sort found anywhere in Scripture. How many times have we seen the pillar of a church or a Christian organization fall because of sin and evil? There are horror stories out there. Pastors and other church leaders caught in adulterous relationships, embezzling church funds, or living secret heinous lifestyles, just awful examples of leadership from those who quite honestly we would think are the least in doubt as it pertains to their faith and their salvation. It also works the other way. How many times have we seen someone who doesn’t fit the image of the clean-cut Christian and we immediately begin to cast judgment. Admittedly, I have been in settings completely devoid of the church and met new people and they are shocked to find out that I’m a pastor. I don’t know what they’re expecting a pastor to be, but I guess I’m not it (although there are sometimes when I think of that as being more of a compliment than I probably should).
The third thing that we can see from this account is the patience of Christ. You see, Jesus knew that Judas was to betray him all along. As we have seen, Jesus knew the Scriptures. He knew the prophecies of the Old Testament. He knew that there was a betrayal to come, and he most likely knew that it would come in the form of Judas. However, we’re never told that Jesus treated Judas any differently than any of the other disciples. And the patience of our Lord gives us another reason to rejoice. We heard from 1 John 1, just as we do each Sunday prior to our confessing our sins, that all of us have sinned, we are reminded that God is patient with us. We stray, we run, we sin, and we offend God, yet He remains patient with us. He continues to love us and care for us and provide for us without end despite our disregard for His will.
Ultimately, this passage does two things, it tells us of Judas’ betrayal of Jesus that is soon to come. That’s the chronological effect of this passage. However, it also teaches us those important lessons about the Christian life: 1.) you and I cannot change simply by watching other Christians, we must pray for the Holy Spirit to truly change our hearts and regenerate us; 2.) that we cannot tell who is saved simply by outward appearances, that is a matter that only God knows; and 3.) that Christ is extremely patient with us, so we need to rejoice in the fact that someone who commands us to live in a certain way is patient with us in our attempts to get there. I don’t know about you, but I am thankful each and every day that my Savior is one who understands me, forgives me, and cares about me so much that he has called me his own and chosen to give me the title of Christian. It is a title that although carries with it many preconceived notions, many of them negative in today’s world, it is a title that I wear very proudly. It is a title that I intend to spend my entire life try to live up to the lofty standards that it carries with it. Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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