Lures and Choices

“When Judas had gone out, Jesus said, ‘Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in Him…’” (John 13:31, BSB)

John’s recounting of Judas’ betray of Jesus in chapter thirteen should lead people to consider their life choices. He used Judas’ betrayal of Jesus to highlight the choices Jesus gives people. The text explains the choices and the consequences. Judas’ name became synonymous for a reason. We can learn from Judas’ actions and their results. What can we learn from this occurrence during Jesus’ earthly life? What did Jesus say happened right after Judas walked away from him?

Judas’ departure from the supper table to see the priests pointed a sign toward Jesus. This sign declared Jesus is the Son of Man. Judas believed Jesus was the Messiah, but he did not believe in Jesus. He did not accept salvation from his sins by faith in Jesus. According to John, Judas “had gone out” (exerchomai). (Interestingly, other Bible writers used exerchomai to tell of demons leaving.) What caused Judas to betray Jesus? What caused him to choose money instead of salvation? Did God fore-ordain that Judas would betray Jesús and not be saved?

God knew someone would betray Jesus. Many of us refuse to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah and our Savior. We might run from Him when God is convicting us of our sins. We may avoid Jesus when we do not want to obey God. Perhaps we run from God because someone in our past, who was a supposed Christian, hurt us. People run away from Jesus for various reasons. God does not force our belief or our giving up the right to ourselves. God gives each of us a choice to follow Jesus or not. Despite knowing Jesus is the Messiah, Judas refused to trust Him for salvation and eternal life. Perhaps the fastest way Judas found to avoid spiritual conviction was to leave Jesus’ presence, physically. The lure of thirty pieces of silver from the priests to betray Jesus led Judas to desire “easy money.” The lure fed Judas’ love of money. It provided a safe distance from Jesus’ influence, so he would not have to deal with his heart’s sin conviction.

Jesus grieves the lost souls in the world. He desires no one to be lost. 2 Peter 3:9 tells us this. Peter wrote, “God is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit­--did not want Judas to run away from Jesus or the Spirit’s convicting him of his sins. God’s desire is for all to repent, believe in Jesus, and be saved from sins. By that salvation, each person enters an eternal relationship with Him. Judas chose to run from the Holy Spirit’s convicting of his heart and run toward his temptation.

God is greater than any person. He can use all things for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Satan tried to thwart God’s plan to provide eternal forgiveness and salvation through Jesus. But Satan was not all-knowing, almighty, or omnipotent. God’s plans prevail. God’s plan never forces a person to receive salvation. His plan in John 13:31 was for Jesus to be glorified as the Son of Man, the Messiah. God’s plan included Himself being glorified. Glorification of Jesus and God affirmed they are real, trustworthy, and the only deity. The human life of Jesus came to its culmination, and His heavenly reality became apparent with the start of His finish on earth that Passover week. The person betraying Jesus that week ushered in the last days of Jesus’ earthly life.

Jesus planned to be crucified as the perfect human sacrifice—one without sin. He planned to die as the sacrifice for the sins of humanity. According to God’s plan, anyone who has faith in Jesus and repents of their sins can receive salvation and be restored to a right relationship with God. As Jesus’ last days opened, Judas’ betrayal of Him led to Jesus’ glorification as Son of Man, deity. Jesus was 100% human and is 100% God. Jesus and the Father received glory that day. The disciples acknowledged and honored Jesus’ true nature, part of the Trinity.

Jesus wants everyone to accept His offer of salvation and avoid eternal separation from God. He does not want backhand acknowledgement of His divinity by the intentional turning away from Him, like Judas. Jesus wishes for a relationship with each person by their belief in Him as their Savior from their sins.

What lures you away from God and the salvation He gives to everyone who believes in Jesus? What do you choose for your life instead of acknowledging Jesus as your Savior and Lord? Don’t be the person who fears the future and chooses what is tangible. Choose absolute certainty in the Savior and guaranteed eternal life with God. Judas saw and believed Jesus was God manifested in the flesh, but he chose a lure instead of Jesus. 

 

It's not too Small a Thing

 

Jesus answered and said to him [Peter], “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.” Peter said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” (John 13:7-8 [NASB])

            When we read John 13:1-17, we realize Jesus, God’s Son, did not consider himself too exalted to do the lowest of tasks-washing dirty feet. He took off his outer tunic and wore just what a servant would and wrapped a towel around his waist as a servant would. Next, he knelt beside Peter to put his foot in the basin and wash and dry it. Peter and the other disciples recognized this action for what it was, a servant’s duty. To him, Jesus was Teacher and Lord (vs 13). Jesus wanted His disciples to see He was more than what they thought they knew about Him. Yes, He is God’s Son and is divine. Jesus also humbled Himself to come down to earth from His throne in heaven, to be incarnate. Paul spoke of this humility of Jesus in Philippians 2:6-7. Jesus made sure the disciples realized His work comprised more than just being recognized as a Teacher and the Lord, the Son of God. His life was to be a humble servant to the Father and humanity so each person would come to know Him as his or her Savior.

            Isaiah in Isaiah 49:1-13 recognized the different facets of the Messiah. Through Isaiah, the Messiah prophesied of His coming humility by birth as a human (vs. 1). He would come to speak the words of God with protection from the shadow of His hand (vs. 2). Jesus would come to toil as if in vain to bring Israel back to God (vs. 4-5). God deemed His Son’s work too important for just the Israelites. The Messiah said He would be a light to all nations. He would come to speak for God and toil for His purposes so all may see the Light of God and come to know Him as their Redeemer (vs 6-7a). Though the Messiah said He people would despise and abhor Him, He would serve people. Kings would rise to their feet and princes would bow to Him because the LORD God chose Him (vs. 7). He said He would release the captive, bring light to those in darkness, feed the hungry, and give drink for the thirsty (vs. 9-10). Jesus the Messiah would make the roads straight and people would come from near and far to be with Him (vs. 11-12).

            Jesus prophesied through Isaiah that He would come to earth for the Israelites to restore them to God. He said He would come for people everywhere, too. Jesus’ ministry on earth was almost exclusively to Israelites. Yet, we know He came for each person who lived during and after His life on earth. Jesus gave the Great Commission to His disciples saying, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19 [NASB]). In Acts 1:8, Luke wrote what Jesus told them in the upper room. He said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

John, in John 13:1-17, told of Jesus preparing His disciples for ministry beyond what they understood. He prepared them to be like Him. Isaiah 49:1-13 foretold the Messiah’s work on earth-speaking to and toiling as a servant for the people of Israel and other nations to receive salvation. Jesus came to serve the Father. That required being a servant for people, too. Jesus showed this to His disciples while He walked with them. He healed, taught, fed, proclaimed, and raised the dead. For the disciples, He did the miraculous. How else could a poor carpenter’s son have taught with authority, though uneducated? How could he have done miracles of healing, feeding, and raising people from the dead? With John 13, Jesus showed His disciples a deeper understanding of His miraculousness. He came to serve, to cleanse people-from dirt and from sins. Jesus served in whatever way was necessary so each person would come to know Him, believe in Him, and receive salvation from sin and death. Jesus modeled this to His disciples. He instilled righteous leadership with righteous servanthood. Jesus instilled servanthood with righteousness so they could be His leaders, too. Only through the righteousness of Christ imparted in each believer through the Holy Spirit can a person fulfill God’s purposes as God foretold in Isaiah 49, Luke shared in Acts 1, and Jesus lived as relayed by Paul in Philippians 2. A servant cannot be greater than the Master and the one who is sent cannot be greater than the One who sent him. Yet, a servant and a leader can live the life of a Christian by Jesus’ Spirit living within them upon faith in Him for salvation.

            It took Jesus, incarnated and fully divine, to transform the actions of people to always be actions of righteous service. Without His indwelling a person, righteous serving cannot happen. It took divine Jesus to redeem serving and leading so they would be useful for God’s purposes. It was too small a thing for Jesus to come just to save Israel (Isaiah 49:6). Just as it was too small a thing for Him to come to redeem only one aspect of life. Jesus came to redeem each person wholly, including each action. He came to redeem every action, bringing it back into alignment with God’s purpose. God’s purpose is that we glorify Him and enjoy Him forever. His purpose is that we live in an eternal, loving, and righteous relationship with Him. It is not too small a thing for us to live righteously and tell other people about Jesus. It has everlasting consequences.

“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:5-11 [NASB])

Is there something you think is beneath you?

If you think that, then you have not had your feet washed by Jesus.

John 13:5-10 - A Devotion

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. 

6 So He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, "Lord, do You wash my feet?" 

7 Jesus answered and said to him, "What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter."

8 Peter said to Him, "Never shall You wash my feet!" Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with me."

9 Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, then wash not only my feet, 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; and you are clean, but not all of you."

In this passage, we find Jesus and His twelve disciples were preparing to eat together. This meal will come to be known as the Lord’s Supper. After sitting down, Jesus poured water into a bowl and began washing the disciples’ feet. Simon was astounded He would do this and proclaimed that His Lord and teacher should not wash his feet, but he the Lord’s.

We have read and heard teaching on this passage. We understand that Jesus lowered Himself to serve the disciples. At the end, He told the disciples to go and do as He did, be a servant to another.

Another thing we need to notice is Jesus’ words with Peter. When Peter exclaimed that the Lord should never wash his feet, Jesus said if I do not wash you, you will have no part, no destiny, with me. We rightly understand that the washing Jesus spoke of was the washing that cleansed people from sin and made them children of God, co-heirs with Christ.

What we need to notice is that Peter exclaimed then that he wanted Jesus to wash more than his feet. Jesus’ reply gives us a new understanding. Jesus said, "He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean.” We understand that walking in Israel at that time was very dusty and when people sat to eat, they sat on the floor with their feet near the food and others. People did not want to offend others by their dirty feet so the host or his servant would bring water to wash the feet of people before they ate. Jesus recognized this when He told Peter not all of him was dirty, but only his feet. That is the literal interpretation of this passage. There is figurative interpretation, too. These disciples, except Judas, had come to believe in Jesus as the Messiah and he cleansed them from their sin already. They no longer carried the death penalty for their sins. The disciples were His and not Satan’s. However, each day a person sins and needs to repent and receive forgiveness. Forgiveness from the Lord is cleansing. This is the cleansing Jesus meant when He told Peter He only needed to wash His feet. Being in the presence of Jesus, God’s Son, required His disciples to be clean from their sins, the ones they committed since they became His disciples. Jesus taught this to them when He washed their feet that day.

This is the lesson for us today. If you are already a disciple of Jesus, He has already cleansed your whole self. However, as we live in this sinful world day by day, we sin and need to be cleansed from our sin. We need to go before Jesus, confess our sins, repent, and ask Him to cleanse us. Our “dirty feet” keep us from being in the presence of God. It will weigh us down so that we cannot hear God as well and then we do not do all that God requires. Sin entangles us so that it is harder to run the race God has prepared for us. It is harder to be Jesus’ disciples and serve Him and other people.

How long has it been since you allowed Jesus to wash your feet? Today, right now, is the right time to go before the Lord confessing and repenting of your sin. Take the time now, for the next five minutes to be with the Lord and let Him cleanse you for this new day.