Love One Another – John 13:21-38

Poignant: evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret.  Have you had poignant conversations?  I remember hearing that my friend and mentor had died while on a mission trip to eastern Europe.  The responsibility for telling his widow fell to me.  Oh, how I both hated making that call and yet needed to make that call.  Jesus had to have some poignant conversations with his disciples the eve of his own arrest and execution.

Having said this, Jesus became troubled in spirit and bore witness, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”  The disciples began looking at one another, confused about who he was referring to.  One of his disciples, the one whom Jesus loved, was reclining at Jesus’ side.  Simon Peter signaled to him to find out who Jesus was talking about.  So leaning back on Jesus’ chest he said, “Lord, who is it?”  Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I give the dipped morsel of bread.”  Then dipping the bread he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.  And when he got the bread Satan entered into him.  Jesus said to him, “What you’re going to do, do quickly.”  No one reclining at table knew what Jesus said to him.  Some supposed, because Judas held the moneybag, that Jesus told him to buy what they needed for the feast, or to give something to the poor.  So after taking the bread morsel he left immediately.  And it was night.

When he had gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him, and God will glorify him in Himself and glorify him immediately.  Little children, I’m with you just for a little while.  You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, ‘where I go you cannot come,’ so now I’m telling you.  I’m giving you a new commandment, that you love one another.  Even as I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this will all people know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Simon Peter said, “Lord, where are you going?”  Jesus answered, “Where I am going you cannot follow now, but you will follow after.”  Peter said, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now?  I will lay down my life for you.”  Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me?  Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow until you have denied me three times.”  (John 13:21-38)

It is hard to imagine more poignant conversations than these between Jesus and his disciples.  One of Jesus’ disciples is a false disciple who will sell information to the Jewish leaders so they can find Jesus apart from the crowds and arrest him.  Jesus urges Judas to go quickly and betray him.  What on earth is Judas thinking as he hears that?

Another disciple is a true disciple who believes he is brave and wouldn’t deny knowing Jesus, but whom Jesus predicts will do just that.  What does Peter make of that?  The dread and anxiety of what is about to happen keeps creeping up in Jesus’ spirit as he speaks to both men about his impending doom.

But in the midst of this Jesus also believes that his death will bring glory to him and to the Father.  He will be taken to the cross and then rise again and be taken to heaven and they can’t follow him yet.  But the most important thing for them to do about this is to love one another to the same degree that he has loved them.  In fact, he says, they will be known as his disciples if they have this kind of love for one another.  The greatest evidence that we know Jesus and follow him as master is and always will be our love for each other.

Discussion Questions

1. What is one of the most poignant conversations you have had?
2. We believe Jesus and his disciples were reclining at an open, u-shaped table arrangement with Jesus at the second to the top position with Judas on his left and John on his right, leaning on his left elbow, and that Peter was on the opposite top end of the ‘u’ (see here for another option).  So Peter had to signal to John because he wasn’t close enough to whisper nor did he want to shout out his question.  If this is correct, Judas was in a position of honor who was the first to receive the sop or bread morsel.  Why do you think Jesus put him in this position and what must have been going on in Judas’ mind?
3. How do you think about Satan entering Judas?  Could this happen to anyone?
4. What do you make of Jesus’ pathway to “glorification”?
5. How do you think Evangelical Christians are doing on loving one another?  What is your evidence?
6. Where is God calling you to love your fellow believer?