Sermon Tone Analysis

Illustration-famous traitors

Keep in mind the context of this passage.

Jesus is just hours from His betrayal, his trial, and his death and He knows that.

Now He is meeting with all of His disciples in the upper room to prepare them for what is about to take place.

Jesus has just stooped way low, and he has washed every one of His disciples’ feet.

He did this to provide them with an example to follow regarding service and love to each other.

They are to look at the service he did for them, and it is to be an example to follow with their love for each other and their service to one another.

But also, bear in mind who all is present.

You have:

Peter- The Rock.

His named is mentioned in the new testament far more than any other disciple.

Andrew- disciple of John the Baptist and the first follower of Jesus.

James- One of the three in the Garden of Gethsemane but definitely the quietest .

Son of Zebedee and John’s brother and one of the “Sons of Thunder” because of their passion and zeal for the Lord Jesus Christ. he was the first disciple martyred and the only disciple to have his martyrdom recorded in Scripture.

John- The disciple Jesus loved.

also part of the inner three.

Author of the book we are currently in as well as 123 John and Revelation.

Philip- a confident of the Greeks seeking Jesus.

A passionate evangelizer

Nathanial- of whom Jesus said

Matthew- the tax collector and the writer of our first gospel.

Thomas- the doubter and yet the one who cries out in My Lord and My God.

James the lesser- Don’t know all too much about this James, but we can assume that he was a faithful follower of Christ stoned to death in Jerusalem for His faith.

Simon- the political activist.

One who having been redeemed, was now as zealous for Christ more so than he ever was for His country.

Jude or Judas son of James- inquired of Jesus in as to how Jesus would reveal Himself to the world.

And then there is Judas Iscariot.

He is the traitor.

The thief.

The one who kissed the one he betrayed.

The failure.

The hopeless suicidal.

Outside of the inner three, probably the most famous of all the disciples.

John macarthur says of Judas:

“The other eleven apostles are all great encouragements to us because they exemplify how common people with typical failings can be used by God in uncommon, remarkable ways.

Judas, on the other hand, stands as a warning about the evil potential of spiritual carelessness, squandered opportunity, sinful lusts, and hardness of the heart.

Here was a man who drew as close to the Savior as it is humanly possible to be.

He enjoyed every privilege Christ affords.

He was intimately familiar with everything Jesus taught.

Yet he remained in unbelief and went into a hopeless eternity.”

https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/who-were-the-12-disciples-and-what-should-we-know-about-them.html

Those are the disciples who are present.

And Judas Iscariot is the one who Jesus has in mind when he speaks in verse 18.

This is not the first time Jesus has warned of their being one in their midst who is not of them.

Now in verse 17, when he speaks of the blessing that will come to the disciples, he makes sure to mention the fact that one of them will not be the recipient of said blessings.

We should take note here.

Jesus doesn'’ sugar coat.

God is a God of truth and the truth is that Judas will not be a recipient of the blessing that Christ is speaking of in verse 17.

Jesus here says that he know the ones who he has chosen.

In other words, he is not taken by surprise that Judas has suddenly turned against Him.

He isn’t caught off guard that one of the ones he chose as a disciple will choose to betray him for 30 pieces of silver.

In fact, this was foreknown and planned from the very beginning.

He says here that the Scripture must be fulfilled.

Jesus here quotes from , to show that what was happening, was in accordance with the Scriptures.

This is an all important reality.

If Jesus can be taken off guard, then he isn’t God.

But this passage does not give us a picture of Jesus who is surprised, but of Jesus who is God and knows absolutely every detail of the betrayal and the betrayer.

Judas is partaking of the supper with Jesus as a friend, but in his heart, he has lifted up his heel so as to crush Jesus.

Again, Jesus knows this.

Look in verse 19.

Jesus continues to speak, explaining why he is telling the disciples that one of them will betray Him.

Jesus wants to let the disciples know who is in control of the situation.

The tendency for them will be to think poor Jesus when He drug away by the Sanhedrin.

When he is spat upon by members of the court and the crowd.

When he is beaten.

When He is nailed to the cross.

When His clothes are divided and gambled over.

And when He dies.

Their obvious tendency is to think of Jesus as a hapless victim, but that is far from the case.

Jesus here tells them what is going to happen.

But why?

So that when it does occur, you may know that I am he.

Every prophecy and foretelling that Jesus would utter would come true and it would serve to solidify and validate who Jesus was in the minds of his disciples.

And again He reminds them that receiving Him is receiving the Father.

While also reminding them that rejection of Him is rejection of the Father.

Now Jesus will begin to explain specifically what Judas will do as His betrayer.

But this troubles Jesus in His Spirit.

Imagine, one of the men you have spent the majority of your time with over the past three years has turned against and has come under the power of Satan.

Now Jesus knows this.

Again, Jesus knows who he chose.

He has just said that, but the fact that one of His own.

Judas a recipient of more of Christ than any other person other than the other 11 is going to be the one to betray Him.

He wasn’t one of the crowd.

He was one of the chosen twelve.

He was present for most if not all of the miracles.

He had seen the storms calmed, the blind restored their sight, the lame walking, and most recently, he had been served by Jesus by having His own dirty feet washed.

Listen to His heart.

“One of you will betray me.”

Now, do they realize to the extent of the betrayal?

I am not so sure.

They certainly aren’t sure of who it would be.

Who of them would do such a thing?

Again, these are men who had walked together.

They had preached together.

They shared meals together, storms together.

They had witnessed miracles together.

They really do not understand.

This tells us a couple things.

It fits the way of Satan.

Even in the Garden, the one who Satan enters is the craftiest beast of the field.