Dear LORD,
Below is the chapter of the Bible I read today. I want to share this portion of Scripture and to say here that, in this one chapter, there are so many truths expressed, truths about salvation, truths about how to behave here on this Earth, truths about Your absolute sovereignty. For the moment, I want to write about the great drama that unfolded at the supper described below. I want the readers to first read the Scripture, so that I may write about it afterward:
The Gospel of John Chapter 13 NKJV
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 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.
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 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.
31 So, when he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him.
32 “If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately.
33 “Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, `Where I am going, you cannot come,’ so now I say to you.
34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
35 “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
36 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.”
37 Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake.”
38 Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times.
The drama I mentioned at the beginning of this post is the interaction between the Lord Jesus and Satan. In verse 2 of this chapter, You, oh God, write that the devil had already put it in Judas Iscariot’s heart to betray Jesus. As we read on, we see the Lord Jesus washing the feet of the disciples, the exchange between Him and Simon Peter, we read the precious words spoken by the Lord as He teaches. Interspersed with His teachings, in verses 10 and 18, the Lord Jesus makes subtle referencess to the one who will betray Him, the one who is unclean. Finally, in verse 21, He clearly states that He will be betrayed. The disciples enquire who it is, and in verse 26 the Lord Jesus explains how is He going to identify the betrayer. Now, we read in verse 27 that, right after the Lord gave the bread to Judas Iscariot, Satan entered into him, and the Lord Jesus gave him a commandment.
My sovereign God, this is howI am looking at this. The devil is mentioned at the start of this chapter. We do not know when did the devil put the idea of betrayal in Judas’ heart, but the fact that he is mentioned early in this chapter makes me think that he was actually in the room, observing the supper, watching as the Lorde Jesus washed the feet of His disciples and spoke to them. I have reason to believe that Satan was in the room given how quickly he entered into Judas Iscariot, taking, as it were, his cue from the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus, of course, knew very well that Satan was there, the Lord Jesus could see him as easily as sighted people can see one another. The Lord Jesus saw clearly when Satan entered, in other words, possessed, Judas. So here we have the Lord Jesus, the Christ, the Almighty, God of hosts, the Alpha and the Omega, sitting at the same table with the great adversary of God and man, Satan. The hour of Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross was at hand. The Lord Jesus was troubled in the spirit. Even so, we know that Satan was sitting there at the table with Him, not because the Lord Jesus was weak or frightened, but because he had been summoned by Almighty God to do so. We know well that Satan can do nothing without the permission of the LORD God. Satan, after all, is an angel, a creation, and, as such, subject to the will of the Father. We also know that the whole plan of salvation was designed and implemented, as the Scriptures put it, “from the foundation of the world.” So even the devil was commanded to play a part in the divine plan that brings salvation to those that the LORD Almighty chooses to save. At that supper table, we see Satan being subject to the sovereign will and lordship of our Christ. Praise be to You, oh God Almighty, may we Your children praise You continually, as You command out of Your good pleasure.
The child who wants You every day,
Zoraida
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