OUR FATHER WHOSE SON WAS BETRAYED BY A FRIEND

The book of John chapter 13 verses 18 - 30 captures the fulfilment of a prophecy found in Psalm chapter 41 verse 9 which says : Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.  

At this last meal, Judas, who had been covertly recruited by the authorities  to betray Jesus by giving them His location, was handed a piece of bread directly by Jesus to underline that Jesus shared His bread with the one who was about to betray Him.  

Judas was then prompted to leave the gathering and go to the chief priests to report where Jesus was going to be that night.

The passage reads this way;

18 “I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.’ 19 Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He. 20 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”

21 When Jesus had said these things, He was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.” 22 Then the disciples looked at one another, perplexed about whom He spoke.

23 Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. 24 Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask who it was of whom He spoke.

25 Then, leaning [e]back on Jesus’ breast, he said to Him, “Lord, who is it?”

26 Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it.” And having dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. 27 Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.” 28 But no one at the table knew for what reason He said this to him. 29 For some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus had said to him, “Buy those things we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor.

30 Having received the piece of bread, he then went out immediately. And it was night.

The mechanism of the sarifice of Jesus were now in motion. 

Judas, knowing that Jesus would go to the Garden of Gethsemene to pray, was off to bring the authorities to arrest Him and Jesus, gathered the rest of His disciples to go to the garden of Gethsemene in order to be handed over to those who wanted to kill Him.

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OUR FATHER WHOSE SON WAS GOING TO RETURN TO HIM

The book of John chapter 13 verses 1 - 17 records the last supper that Jesus shared with His disciples. This event was to celebrate the Passover meal that was a customary in Israel to commemorate the salvation of God from the angel of death by the marking the households of israel with the blood of a lamb. 

This gathering was held on the night was was to lead up to the day that Jesus was going to be arrested and put to death.

When the meal was complete, Jesus, in a demontration of humility and obedience to His Father, got a basin of water and a towel and knelt down to wash the desciples feet. Peter objected to the Jesus washing His feet but Jesus pursuaded him to have his feet washed so that he could participate in the plan of salvation that was being carried out before their eyes.

During this time, Jesus was aware of the betrayal that was being plotted by Judas and knew that it was the mechanism by which He was going to fall into the hands of the authorities and ultimately be killed and return to the Father.

The passage reads this way;

1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.

2 And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, 4 rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. 5 After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. 6 Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?”

7 Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.” 8 Peter said to Him, “You shall never 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, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!”

10 Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, “You are not all clean.”

12 So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you [b]know what I have done to you? 13 You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. 16 Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

Jesus, in this final act of servitude for his disciples, set an example for us to maintain a stance of humility and service for those around us and emulate his servant heart.

Holy is the Lord.

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OUR FATHER WHO SENT HIS SON TO MAKE EVERLASTING LIFE POSSIBLE FOR MEN

The book of John chapter 12 verses 42 - 50 captures the tension that had formed around Jesus because many of the leaders of Israel were pursuaded that He was the awaited Messiah but because the chief priests and pharisees were campaigning against Him, they kept quiet so as not to be ostracized by the establishment.

42 Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

44 Then Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. 45 And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. 46 I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. 47 And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. 49 For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. 50 And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.”

The case that Jesus made to them was that He, though standing before them as a man, was actually the exact representation of the Father and that the  appropriate reponse to His words was to believe them because if they refused to believe, those words would serve as a witness against them on the last day of judgement.

He implored them to understand the stakes involved. The mission that Jesus was on was one of offering eternal life to men and it is because of what was being pursued by the Father that Jesus completely subjected Himself the commands of the Father in order for the intention of providing everlasting life to be realized.

This was the last entreaty that Jesus made that was recorded by the apostle John before the final countdown to His arrest by the authorities.

Holy is the Lord.

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 OUR FATHER WHO KNEW THAT HIS SON WOULD BE REJECTED

The book of John Chapter 12 verse 37 - 41, the apostle John links the unbelief of the children of Israel at the appearance of their Messaih to the prophecies of Isaiah the prophet. Isiaiah had foreseen that the Messiah would appear among His people but the people would not believe in Him.

37 But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, 38 that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: 

“Lord, who has believed our report?

And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

39 Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again:

40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts,

Lest they should see with their eyes,

Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,

So that I should heal them.”

41 These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.

The prophet Isaiah, having see the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ  wrote of Him centuries in advance but also knew that the people would be blinded and their hearts hardened so that they would see the signs and wonders that He would perform  before their eyes and they would still be unable to comprehend the importance of what they were seeing and they would not be able to believe in the One who came to save them.

Amen.

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 OUR FATHER WHO GLORIFIED HIS NAME THROUGH HIS SON

John chapter 12 verses 27 - 36 says this;

27 “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify Your name.”

Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.”

29 Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to Him.”

30 Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. 32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” 33 This He said, signifying by what death He would die.

34 The people answered Him, “We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?”

35 Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.

The Lord Jesus continued teaching and counseling the people even as He was approaching His own trial.

He told them that His soul was troubled because of the horror what was imminent but that He was not going to evade the very purpose for which He was sent.

He advised his listeners to believe in the light so that they would become sons of the light and then Jesus left the gathering and was concealed from the people.

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 OUR FATHER WHO GAVE HIS SON TO DIE THAT WE MAY LIVE

The book of John chapter 12 verses 20 - 26 describes an event where a contigency of  Greeks who had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the passover asked some of the disciples to set up an appointment so they could meet Jesus.

Philip and Andrew took the matter to Jesus but Jesus declined the meeting because the time had reached its fulness and His imminent death was now on the forefront of His mind.

Jesus gave the disciple a message to pass back to the inquirers that  advised them to hate their own lives so they could gain eternal life and to serve Him because serving Him was the certified way to be with Him for where He was going, those who were His servants would be with Him there.

20 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. 21 Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”

22 Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.

23 But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. 24 Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. 25 He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHO SENT HIS SON TO BE KING OF ISRAEL

The book of John chapter 11 verses 12 - 19 records the formal entry of the awaited Messiah into the city of Jerusalem. The raising of Lazarus from the dead was a catalyst for the anticipation that the people in Jerusalem had to receive the Messiah and they waved palm branches to welcome Him.

The political and religious establishment of Jerusalem were feeling that Jesus was drawing infleunce and authority away from them and became more desperate when the Lord Jesus publically entered their domain and the people were hailing Him as the king of Israel.

 12 The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:

 “Hosanna! 

‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ 

The King of Israel!”

14 Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:

15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion;

Behold, your King is coming,

Sitting on a donkey’s colt.”

16 His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.

17 Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness. 18 For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign. 19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!”

The tension in Jerusalem was climbing as the people polarized around the question of who Jesus was and the time was getting close to where the authorities would make a risk everything to get Jesus and try to destroy Him.

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