John 13 | The Upward Way | Bible Study with A. Z. Adams — Transcript

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1. 0:00John chapter 13 verse [music] 1. Now
2. 0:03before the feast of the Passover, Jesus
3. 0:05knowing that his hour had come that he
4. 0:08would depart out [music] of this world
5. 0:10to the Father,
6. 0:11having loved his own who were in the
7. 0:13world, he loved them to the end.
8. 0:17During supper, the devil having already
9. 0:20put into the heart of [music] Judas
10. 0:21Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray
11. 0:24him,
12. 0:25Jesus knowing that the Father had given
13. 0:28all things into his hands and that he
14. 0:31had come forth God and was going back to
15. 0:34God,
16. 0:34>> [music]
17. 0:34>> got up from supper and laid aside his
18. 0:37garments and taking a towel, he girded
19. 0:40himself.
20. 0:44Then he poured water into the basin
21. 0:46[music] and began to wash the disciples'
22. 0:48feet and to wipe them with the towel
23. 0:51with which he was girded.
24. 0:53So he came to Simon Peter. He said to
25. 0:55him, "Lord,
26. 0:57do you wash my feet?"
27. 1:00Jesus answered and said to him,
28. 1:03"What I do, you do not realize now,
29. 1:07but you will understand hereafter."
30. 1:12Peter said to him, "Never shall you wash
31. 1:15my feet."
32. 1:17Jesus answered him,
33. 1:19"If I do not wash you, you have no part
34. 1:22with me."
35. 1:23Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, then
36. 1:26wash not only my feet but also my hands
37. 1:29and my head."
38. 1:31Jesus said to him,
39. 1:33"He who has bathed [music]
40. 1:35needs only to wash his feet,
41. 1:38but is completely clean, and you [music]
42. 1:40are clean, but not all of you.
43. 1:44For he knew the one who was betraying
44. 1:47him. For this reason he said, "Not all
45. 1:50of you are clean."
46. 1:53So when he had washed their feet and
47. 1:55taken his garments and reclined at the
48. 1:57table, he said to them,
49. 1:59"Do you know what I have done for you?"
50. 2:04"You call me teacher and Lord,
51. 2:07and you are right, for so I am.
52. 2:10If then the Lord and the teacher washed
53. 2:13your feet, you also ought to wash one
54. 2:16another's feet.
55. 2:18For I gave you [music] an example
56. 2:21that you also should do as I did to you.
57. 2:24Truly, truly I say to you, a slave is
58. 2:26not greater than his master,
59. 2:28nor is one who is sent greater than the
60. 2:31one [music] who sent him.
61. 2:34If you know these things, you are
62. 2:36blessed if you do them.
63. 2:39I do not speak of all of you. I know the
64. 2:42ones I have chosen,
65. 2:44but it is that the scripture may be
66. 2:46fulfilled.
67. 2:48He who eats my bread has lifted up his
68. 2:51heel against me.
69. 2:53From now on, I am telling you before it
70. 2:56comes to pass so that when it does
71. 2:58occur, you may believe that I am he.
72. 3:01Truly, truly I say to you,
73. 3:04he who receives whomever I send receives
74. 3:07me, and he who receives me receives him
75. 3:10who sent me.
76. 3:12The feast of Passover is the
77. 3:15night when they remembered the Exodus,
78. 3:19when the angel of death passed over
79. 3:22the houses of the Israelites that were
80. 3:24marked with blood.
81. 3:26And central to that feast was a meal.
82. 3:30They were supposed to eat a meal in
83. 3:32haste.
84. 3:34And so here Jesus
85. 3:36is preparing to leave this world. He's
86. 3:39preparing to go on an Exodus,
87. 3:41and he's been telling them
88. 3:43that where I am going, some of you
89. 3:46cannot come,
90. 3:47but some of you will come.
91. 3:49>> [clears throat]
92. 3:50>> And so he's instituting a new Passover.
93. 3:56And this new Passover we are going to
94. 3:58call
95. 3:59communion or the Lord's supper,
96. 4:02but it is directly tied to the old
97. 4:05Passover.
98. 4:06In Matthew's telling and Mark's, we've
99. 4:09already seen how he takes the cup and
100. 4:12the bread and blesses it. Well, this is
101. 4:15the Passover night. This is communion
102. 4:18connecting to the new covenant. This is
103. 4:21using communion to connect the new
104. 4:24covenant to the Passover understanding
105. 4:28of the old covenant.
106. 4:30And the first thing he does
107. 4:32is he begins to wash their feet.
108. 4:36Now,
109. 4:37when he starts to wash their feet,
110. 4:40Peter doesn't want it to happen because
111. 4:43washing someone's feet in this day meant
112. 4:46that you were the slave.
113. 4:49That's what the slave did. When a guest
114. 4:51would come into a nice home and sit
115. 4:54down, a slave would come around and with
116. 4:57an apron wrapped around them, they would
117. 4:59begin to wash the feet of the guests.
118. 5:02Does that make sense?
119. 5:03So Jesus is taking the role and posture
120. 5:07of the lowest person in the household.
121. 5:10He's taking the role of a servant.
122. 5:13And when he comes to Peter, Peter is
123. 5:14offended at the absurdity that the one
124. 5:18who he sees as king and Lord would be
125. 5:21doing this very base low task.
126. 5:25But he's twice he tells them that they
127. 5:28don't understand what he's doing.
128. 5:30So he's not doing what is visible and
129. 5:34clearly understandable. This is not
130. 5:36about cleaning feet off.
131. 5:41He tells Peter, "If I don't wash you,
132. 5:43you have no part in me."
133. 5:45And so Peter says, "Then wash more than
134. 5:48my feet, wash my hands and my head."
135. 5:50Jesus says, "The one who is bathed
136. 5:53doesn't need to be washed except for his
137. 5:55feet." And there's the insight.
138. 5:59When we are living in right relationship
139. 6:02with God,
140. 6:04we are still interacting with a dirty
141. 6:07world.
142. 6:09And the part of our bodies that are
143. 6:11interacting with that filthy world
144. 6:14are our feet.
145. 6:16And so he's saying,
146. 6:18"Even though you're a Christian, even
147. 6:20though you're walking in the cleansing
148. 6:22of your baptismal commitment,
149. 6:24nevertheless, you're still picking up
150. 6:27things from this filthy world."
151. 6:29And so the whole ceremony is not to
152. 6:33teach us how to physically clean off
153. 6:35feet.
154. 6:36The ceremony is to teach us how to serve
155. 6:40one another
156. 6:42by helping our brothers and sisters get
157. 6:44free of the dirt
158. 6:47or the sin or the contaminations that
159. 6:50cling to us from this fallen world.
160. 6:54A lot of people
161. 6:57institute foot washing as a result of
162. 6:59this, and that's not bad,
163. 7:02but that often misses the point of what
164. 7:04he's trying to bring home to them
165. 7:06because he asks them, "Do you know what
166. 7:09I've done for you?" If what he's done is
167. 7:11simply wash their feet, then the answer
168. 7:13is of course.
169. 7:14But then when he finishes, he says, "You
170. 7:17do not know what I've done for you."
171. 7:19So
172. 7:20it's not foot washing. It's symbolic
173. 7:24of discipleship, corrective, helpful,
174. 7:28forgiving, guiding ministry where
175. 7:31someone takes another person aside and
176. 7:34says, "You're picking up some
177. 7:35contaminations from the world."
178. 7:38And this is what we have to do
179. 7:41to maintain our part with him.
180. 7:45>> [clears throat]
181. 7:46>> He says, "You call me teacher and Lord,
182. 7:49and that's exactly what I am."
183. 7:51But he says, "I'm giving you an example
184. 7:54of what this looks like.
185. 7:56A slave is not greater than his master.
186. 7:59You're not greater than me, but you're
187. 8:00going to have to do this for each
188. 8:02other."
189. 8:03When he says, "You have no part in me"
190. 8:06if you're not engaged in receiving and
191. 8:08giving
192. 8:12this corrective cleansing care to one
193. 8:15another, this is going to align with
194. 8:17what the same John is going to write
195. 8:19when he says, "If we walk in the light
196. 8:22as he is in the light, we have
197. 8:23fellowship with one another and He is
198. 8:26saying, "If you want to be part of this
199. 8:29Exodus journey,
200. 8:31if you want to be part of this new
201. 8:33covenant,
202. 8:34then you're going to have to receive a
203. 8:36lot of help from each other. It's not
204. 8:38going to be a one-time bathing that
205. 8:40settles all the filth of life for once
206. 8:44once and for all. There's going to need
207. 8:46to be an ongoing application of God's
208. 8:49grace
209. 8:50to one another."
210. 8:54And then he says, "Truly, truly I say to
211. 8:56you, whoever receives whomever I send
212. 8:59receives me, and he who receives me
213. 9:01receives him who sent me." So he's
214. 9:04sending them to one another.
215. 9:07And he's saying, "When you receive one
216. 9:08another in these gentle servant
217. 9:12capacities of correction and cleansing,
218. 9:16you're really receiving me and you're
219. 9:18receiving God the Father who sent him."
220. 9:21When Jesus has said this, he became
221. 9:24troubled in spirit
222. 9:26and testified again, "Truly, truly I say
223. 9:29to you,
224. 9:30that one of you will betray me."
225. 9:34So it is in this context that the
226. 9:37betrayal is is becoming evident. So
227. 9:40whatever this foot washing is supposed
228. 9:42to reveal, it's supposed to be a moment.
229. 9:46This is the communion, and this
230. 9:48communion is supposed to be a moment
231. 9:50where we discern who is clean and who is
232. 9:54not clean. Because he said to Peter,
233. 9:56"You are already clean, but one of you
234. 9:58is not clean."
235. 9:59And then when he does the foot washing,
236. 10:02he feels this troubledness in his
237. 10:04spirit. We would call it a burden, a
238. 10:06concern, an insight or premonition. And
239. 10:09he says, "Truly, truly, I say to you
240. 10:11that one of you will betray me."
241. 10:14There's something about the
242. 10:15vulnerability of this moment that
243. 10:18exposes the insincerity
244. 10:20of Judas. You just know it.
245. 10:24In the communion, you can perceive who
246. 10:27is really there with their heart
247. 10:30and who is not.
248. 10:33The disciples began looking at one
249. 10:35another,
250. 10:36at a loss to know of which one he was
251. 10:39speaking.
252. 10:41There was reclining on Jesus' bosom one
253. 10:44of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.
254. 10:47John speaks of himself here.
255. 10:50So, Simon Peter gestured to him and said
256. 10:53to him, "Tell us
257. 10:56who is it of whom he is speaking."
258. 11:00So, Simon asks John, "Do you know who
259. 11:02he's talking about?"
260. 11:06He, leaning back thus on Jesus' bosom,
261. 11:09said to him, "Lord, who is it?"
262. 11:13Jesus answered,
263. 11:15"That is the one for whom I shall dip
264. 11:19the morsel and give it to him."
265. 11:23So, in the other gospels, he says, "It's
266. 11:26the one who dips with me at the same
267. 11:28time." So, there's a couple things that
268. 11:30he says about Judas.
269. 11:32He's presumptuous, he dips at the same
270. 11:34time as Jesus. And in this whispered
271. 11:37comment to John, he says, "It's the one
272. 11:39I'm going to hand the morsel to."
273. 11:42This is the idea of handing the
274. 11:44communion wafer to to someone. This is
275. 11:46the idea of breaking the bread.
276. 11:50In the In the other gospels, Jesus has
277. 11:53already broken the bread and said, "This
278. 11:54is my body broken for you.
279. 11:57Eat it in remembrance of me." He's
280. 11:59already taken the cup and lifted it up
281. 12:01and said, "This is the cup of the new
282. 12:03covenant in my blood. Drink it in
283. 12:05remembrance of you." All of this would
284. 12:07have made very clear sense to be doing
285. 12:10this on the Passover night. He's saying,
286. 12:13"I'm the lamb that must mark your lives.
287. 12:17I'm the lamb that must be over the
288. 12:20doorposts of your hearts and minds so
289. 12:22that the angel of death passes over you.
290. 12:26And the sacrifice that he's about to
291. 12:27accomplish is going to cause that
292. 12:30judgment of wrath and justice to pass
293. 12:34over us if we will be part of him."
294. 12:38But being part of him is not a one-time,
295. 12:41once-for-all claim.
296. 12:43It It has a maintenance
297. 12:45process. It has a maintenance program.
298. 12:48We need to have ourselves washed and we
299. 12:50need to know
300. 12:52what we're doing for one another. And we
301. 12:54need to know that when we do it for one
302. 12:55another,
303. 12:57it is he who is sending us. Jesus then
304. 13:00answered,
305. 13:01"That is the one for whom I shall dip
306. 13:03the morsel and give it to him." So, when
307. 13:06he had dipped the morsel, he took and
308. 13:08gave it to Judas, the son of Simon
309. 13:10Iscariot.
310. 13:13After the morsel, Satan then entered
311. 13:15into him. Therefore, Jesus said to him,
312. 13:19"What you do, do quickly."
313. 13:23So, as soon as Jesus
314. 13:25shows him this kindness, shows him this
315. 13:28inclusion,
316. 13:29his own
317. 13:31wicked heart
318. 13:33in that moment of communion becomes
319. 13:35solidified.
320. 13:37It's like
321. 13:38he's crossing a line. He's pretending a
322. 13:41loyalty. He's pretending a unity. And
323. 13:45he's hardening his heart in doing so.
324. 13:48So, when he takes the bread
325. 13:50from the hand of Christ, Satan enters
326. 13:53his heart. The bread is not magic
327. 13:56to take away what is evil in his heart.
328. 13:59The bread is revealing it.
329. 14:02It's forcing a participation.
330. 14:06And Jesus said to him,
331. 14:08"What you do, do quickly." Now, when it
332. 14:10says Satan entered his heart, the word
333. 14:13Satan means accusation.
334. 14:17So,
335. 14:18yes, he's speaking of the spiritual
336. 14:20being called Satan, but you could also
337. 14:23say accusation entered his heart.
338. 14:26This is the willingness to entertain and
339. 14:30fester on
340. 14:32and then eventually act upon the murder
341. 14:36of cultivated accusations towards your
342. 14:38brothers.
343. 14:41Now, one of those reclining at the table
344. 14:44knew for what purpose he had said this
345. 14:47to him.
346. 14:48For some were supposing, because Judas
347. 14:51had the money box, that Jesus was saying
348. 14:53to him, "Buy the things we need for the
349. 14:57feast or else that he should give
350. 14:59something to the poor."
351. 15:01So, John is saying only one person at
352. 15:04the table heard this, and it's him.
353. 15:06But the others, it was quietly spoken.
354. 15:09So, the others thought Jesus was telling
355. 15:11him, "Go make Go Go do some grocery
356. 15:14shopping for the feast."
357. 15:17So, after receiving the morsel, he went
358. 15:19out immediately,
359. 15:21and it was night.
360. 15:24Now, we are mindful that this entire
361. 15:26time John has been telling us
362. 15:29that
363. 15:31you have to walk in the light,
364. 15:34the light of truth, the light of God's
365. 15:37voice in human flesh.
366. 15:41Amen. He's telling us He's quoting Jesus
367. 15:45as saying, "I am the light. Walk while
368. 15:47you have the light. Believe in the light
369. 15:50that you may become sons of light."
370. 15:53Remember in the previous chapters?
371. 15:55And now
372. 15:57he's focusing
373. 15:59that as Satan accusation enters Judas'
374. 16:02heart and he goes out, it is night.
375. 16:07So, after receiving the morsel, he,
376. 16:09Judas, went out immediately, and it was
377. 16:12night.
378. 16:13Therefore,
379. 16:15when he had gone out, Jesus said,
380. 16:18"Now is the Son of Man glorified,
381. 16:22and God is glorified in him."
382. 16:27This feels like a tragedy.
383. 16:29This is a betrayal.
384. 16:31But it's going to be a moment
385. 16:34where the Son of Man is going to be
386. 16:35glorified.
387. 16:37And God is going to be glorified
388. 16:40in him.
389. 16:45If God is glorified in him,
390. 16:48God will also glorify him in himself and
391. 16:53will glorify him immediately.
392. 16:59Jesus is living in the glory of God
393. 17:03because the almighty is dwelling in his
394. 17:06humanity.
395. 17:08Amen.
396. 17:09But he's going to But he's also living
397. 17:12in a state of emptying himself.
398. 17:16He's denying himself many of his divine
399. 17:18rights. He did not grasp for his rights,
400. 17:21but emptied himself
401. 17:24so that he could be like us in every
402. 17:26way,
403. 17:27limiting his life to what our life can
404. 17:30be.
405. 17:32But once he dies
406. 17:35and he endures the cross for the joy set
407. 17:38before him,
408. 17:39then he rises
409. 17:42to take his throne, the throne of his
410. 17:45father,
411. 17:45>> [music]
412. 17:46>> as God assumes the mode
413. 17:49of
414. 17:50enthroning himself in the humanity of
415. 17:53Jesus Christ.
416. 17:55And that is his glorification
417. 17:58when he ascends to
418. 18:00>> [music]
419. 18:00>> heaven and takes full possession of all
420. 18:05divine rights and sits upon the throne
421. 18:07[music] of his father.
422. 18:12If God is glorified in him, God will
423. 18:15also glorify him in himself and will
424. 18:18glorify him immediately.
425. 18:21Little children, I am with you a little
426. 18:24while longer.
427. 18:26You will seek me,
428. 18:28and as I said to the Jews,
429. 18:30>> [music]
430. 18:30>> "Now I also say to you, where I am
431. 18:33going, you cannot come."
432. 18:36But he's told them [music] they will
433. 18:38come.
434. 18:41A new commandment I give you,
435. 18:44that you love one another,
436. 18:47even as I have loved you,
437. 18:50that you also love one another.
438. 18:54By this all men will know that you are
439. 18:57my disciples
440. 18:59if you have love for one another."
441. 19:02So, he's given them the mission to
442. 19:05minister to one another, to to cleanse
443. 19:07sin off of the feet of each other.
444. 19:11But he said, "This is how they're going
445. 19:13to know that you're my disciples,
446. 19:15that that you are coming sent by me
447. 19:19by your love."
448. 19:21Simon Peter said to him, "Lord,
449. 19:24where are you [music] going?"
450. 19:27Jesus answered, "Where I go, you cannot
451. 19:30follow me now,
452. 19:32but you will follow later."
453. 19:35Peter said to him, "Lord,
454. 19:37why can I not follow you right now?
455. 19:41I will lay down my life for you."
456. 19:44Jesus answered,
457. 19:46"Will you lay down your life for me?
458. 19:49Truly, truly, I say to you, a rooster
459. 19:52will not crow
460. 19:53until you deny me three times.
461. 19:58>> [music]