Before Pursuing Further our study of John 13, we revert briefly to the subject of Judas. John alone tells how the identity of the traitor was revealed to Peter and him, and that Judas perceived the significance of the sop. Matthew, Mark and Luke are all silent about the giving of the sop to Judas, but Matthew confirms indirectly that Judas understood the meaning of the Lord’s action, for he records the words, “He that dipped his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me” (Matt. 26:23 RV, as all quotes unless noted). When, therefore, Jesus, in response to Peter’s question, gave the sop to Judas, the latter could hardly miss the significance of the Lord’s action.
For obvious reasons, he would be embarrassed by what had occurred and doubtless, at least momentarily, he did not know how to react. Having heard the others question Jesus, however, he was moved to ask in his turn: “Is it I, Rabbi?” (Matt. 26:25). He could do no other, for otherwise his silence would have been noted by the others. The Lord’s answer left him in no doubt: “Thou hast said” (v. 25).
Light and darkness
We have already noted John’s cryptic comment, and “Judas went out into the darkness” (13:30). The symbolic use of light and darkness is a marked feature of John’s writings. In leaving the upper room, Judas was leaving the light of the world (John 8:12; 9:5). In the prologue the appearance of Jesus is the manifestation of “the light of men” (John 1:4,5). Inevitably there was conflict between the light and the powers of darkness: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it” (v. 5 NRSV). This is true in the natural world; the steady light of a candle can penetrate the surrounding darkness.
The crucifixion of our Lord was men’s attempt to quench his life, but it proved futile. As the Lord said to his persecutors, “But this is your hour and the power of darkness” (Luke 22:53). For three days, men appeared to have prevailed, but this brief period of seeming triumph gave way to eternity when the Father raised the Lord from the dead.
He was the light which prevailed. In view of the precariousness of our mortal existence, we do well to heed Christ’s words: “Yet a little while is the light among you. Walk while ye have the light, that darkness overtake you not” (John 12:35).
The way to glory
After the departure of Judas, the Lord must have felt a sense of relief. He was now with the eleven, who despite their human failings and occasional childishness, had remained faithful. It was they who, after his ascension to the Father, would carry on his work among men.
What was now inevitably on the Lord’s mind was the completion of the work the Father had given him to accomplish. He had been obedient throughout his life; he had made the Father’s will his own. But that obedience was soon to experience its greatest challenge, both on the cross and in the cruel treatment toward him at the hands of the minions of darkness.
He possessed a deep and comprehensive knowledge of the Old Testament and he was clearly aware of the passages which spoke in clear terms of his sufferings (Psalms 22, 69, Isa. 53 among other passages). He could find his own glory, and glorify his Father only in doing to the utmost what the Father required of him: “…Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him” (John 13:31).
The Lord’s demeanour on the cross itself was surely his supreme glory. To have endured what he had suffered, in the inhuman scourging and in the crucifixion itself, could so easily have broken his spirit. But not so: in that sublime prayer he asked his Father to forgive his enemies, for they did not know what they were doing (Luke 23:34). He thus proved true to his own teaching, “Pray for them which persecute you” (Matt. 5:44).
No lingering in the grave
The Father’s response to His Son would know no delay, “And God shall glorify him in himself, and straightway shall he glorify him” (John 13:32). Those two words “in himself” must have a special significance. We begin to understand when we reflect upon what happened. The Lord did not linger in the grave and his body, the vehicle of God’s glory (cf. John 1:14), was not allowed to corrupt (Acts 2:31 and Psa. 16:10) but was raised the third day and invested with his Father’s eternal nature, thus giving special meaning to the words, “And God shall glorify him in himself.”
Yet there was more, as before his ascension he was able to declare, “All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth” (Matt. 28:18). We need here to take note of the words, “in heaven,” indicating he was given a station superior to that of the angels (cf. Heb. 1:4).
That love one for another was what was to distinguish his followers and is shown by the next verse in John 13: “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (v. 35).
Peter would follow Jesus, but not yet
Here again we see how the import of Christ’s words and demeanour were lost upon Peter. For the moment he can think only of one thing: the Lord was going some place where Peter, with the others, could not follow (v. 33). How could such a development be possible? Peter is not concerned with brotherly love; he picks up his Master’s words, “Lord, whither goest thou?” (v. 36). He receives no reassurance, at least not the kind he wants, “Wither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards.”
Peter is not concerned with the future, however, he is much more concerned with here and now, hence his protestation, quite passionate in its intensity, we can be sure: “Lord, why cannot I follow thee even now? I will lay down my life for thee” (v. 37). We should not miss the force of the “even now.” But at that moment he could not.
How true that was of him, and of ourselves, at times. We so easily lose sight of the fact that all our actions toward one another should be informed by the love which the Lord revealed. Peter did receive the reassurance in that respect, as in others, that he would consciously follow in the steps of his Lord. For us to attain that end, we need to give the maximum attention to Peter’s final message: “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and for ever. Amen” (II Pet. 3:18).
With his foreknowledge of the circumstances of his arrest and trial, the Lord responds to Peter’s words, “Wilt thou lay down thy life for me? Verily, verily, I say unto thee. The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice.”
The Lord knew the heart of his apostle better than Peter himself. Disappointed in his understanding of his Lord’s mission and surrounded by the Lord’s enemies, Peter’s nerve failed him. He did deny his Lord thrice; when this occurred the third time, Jesus turned toward Peter who understood perfectly the meaning of the Lord’s look. Being utterly ashamed, he left the scene and wept bitterly (Lk. 22:61-62).
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One