1 Now before the feast of the passover, when
Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto
the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto
the end. 2 And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart
of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him; (John
13:1-2)
Today is Maundy Thursday – the day we observe the institution of the Lord’s
Supper as well as the washing of the feet of the disciples. The word derives
from Middle English meaning ‘mandate.’ The ‘mandate’ or New Commandment is
given in St. John 13:34 - A new commandment I
give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love
one another.” (John 13:34) This Commandment of the Lord
covers all others. But its demands of love far exceed our normal ability to
obey it. What neighbor, or member of the Body of Christ, do we love as much as
Christ loved us and gave His very life for us? Unfortunately, there are many
smug Christians who believe that they are keeping this Commandment.
This thirteenth chapter of John is related to that same thirteenth chapter of 1
Corinthians, popularly called the LOVE chapter. John, being the disciple whom
Jesus loved most especially, is perfectly suited as the one to relate this love
of Christ to us.
For fifteen centuries before the Coming of Jesus, the Passover meal of Goshen
has pointed to this night of the Lord’s support. It is the Passover meal and
the Lord Jesus Christ is the Passover (Heb: Pascah). “Purge out therefore
the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even
Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not
with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the
unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” (1
Cor 5:7-8) The
Passover is to be served by the single Cup that represents the Cup of Christ’s
suffering. It is to be eaten with unleavened bread despite the objections of
some good Christians who believe the symbol is not important. Leaven represents
false doctrine and sin; therefore, I believe the bread should reflect the same
meaning of that which it symbolizes and should be unleavened.
This is a meal to which the Lord looked forward with much joy, but that joy was
mingled with sorrow, too, for He knew that He must depart out of the world and
leave His beloved disciples behind. But each act of grace was intended to
prepare them for this departure.
There was one among the twelve that was a devil and a traitor. Please do not be
deceived by those tired old, unbiblical arguments that Judas was forced to sin
and do evil – he was not! He was a devil from the beginning, and this the Lord
well knew. Early in His ministry, Jesus revealed this truth. “Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?
He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray
him, being one of the twelve.” (John
6:70-71) If you
prefer to believe the fables on man on this point to the detriment of plain
biblical truth, so be it. Every man must answer for his own unbelief! God is
not, nor ever has been, the author evil in forcing men to sin.
The opening verse of John 13 is very touching and profound: “….Jesus knew
that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father,
having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.”
It is remarkable to me that Jesus maintained a total presence of mind and
balance of thought even from this moment of grave danger which He continued
even during the excruciating pains of the cross. The ‘end’ to which this verse
replies is that temporary end that death brings, but not the end of a glorious
relationship that endures in eternity beyond that end. Jesus greatly desired that
His disciples would not fall victim to the deceits and allurements of Satan.
When the danger is greatest, and fears mount, this is the time that the devil
does his best work. Yet, all disciples (except the man of perdition) came
shining through until the resurrection. Fearful though they were, they kept the
faith, and that faith multiplied seven-fold when the fact of the resurrection
became known.
It should be a blissful comfort to the Christian to know that Christ will love
us to the end of our days, and then we shall rest secure in His bosom
throughout Eternity. Though at the end of every field of Machpelah (Genesis
23), there lies a grave; beyond that cave lies an open tomb for the Christian.
The Tomb of Christ was a borrowed tomb. Isn’t the tomb of a Christian only
borrowed as well? We need it only for those corrupt remains that rot and are
consumed by worms. That which is spiritual in Christ springs forth eternal at
the moment of death.
Consider those things that are passing through the mind of Christ as He
prepares for His Passover meal. He is fully aware that one guest has already
sold Him out to His enemies for thirty pieces of silver – such a modest ransom
for the One who would serve as ransom to all who believe. Five hundred years
earlier, the prophet had made mention of the cost of the Lord’s betrayal: “And
I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my
covenant which I had made with all the people. 1 And it was broken in that
day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word
of the LORD. And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and
if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. And
the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was
prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the
potter in the house of the LORD.” (Zech 11:10-13)
Jesus, the Lord of Glory and King of Kings, deigned to wash the feet (as a
lowly servant) of his disciples. It was traditionally the lowest servant of a
household who washed the feet of guest who entered the home. So Jesus placed
Himself as the lowest servant of the household. He was not without majesty and
highest honor, but He took upon Himself uncommon humility. That is a strong
lesson for the proud ministers and laypeople of the church. “Oh no, I do not
go that little country church. I am a member of the FIRST CHURCH,” many
proud Christians will proclaim. The Church is literally the family of God. Who
would ever compare a family to some marbled façade of a church building? It is
NOT the building, but its contents of faith that make a church. It is possible
to have a far more fervent church family who meet underneath a Con Tree in
Kenya than under the lofty, high-steepled crystal palaces that pass themselves
as churches in our day. Remember, the sin which the Lord literally hates is
that of PRIDE! The first of the seven sins that the Lord despises is Pride. “These
six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud
look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that
deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, 19 A false witness that
speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.” (Prov
6:16-19)
You will admit that love dispels all remnants of pride. A mother will prostrate
herself before her proud neighbors to save her child from harm. That one
commandment of LOVE that Christ gave the night before His Passion will see us
through every trial and temptation. In fact, love covers ALL sin. “. . . love
covereth all sins.” (Prov 10:12) This is not the namby-pamby
love that opens the door for an old lady, or carries her shopping bag to the
car for her. It is the kind of love that would sooner be nailed to the cross
than to see a little child perish, or even a criminal suffer for his sins. That
is a most amazing measure of love and, without it, none of us would have been
saved!
