John 13:18-20
The Devil Is Among Us - Getting the devil out!
John gave more details about what took place in the upper room than
any other gospel writer, and he gave details (or at least hints of
details) that no other writer gave either.
Surprise One:
For example, John is the only writer to tell us of Jesus washing the
disciples’ feet. The question to ask is, "Why didn’t one of the
disciples wash the disciples’ feet?" Twelve men walked past the
basin, water, and towel that Jesus took up. Everyone was already
sitting at the table either eating or about to eat for \\#4\\ says
that Jesus arose from supper—from the meal. By that time, the foot
washing should have been done. Why wasn’t it?
The answer is that no disciple wanted to take the place of a servant!
They were all wanting to be the chief and no one was willing to be
the Indian! So John is hinting that there was still a rivalry going
among the disciples—a large rivalry. One so large that each of the
disciples would rather sit with someone else’s dirty feet in his
face than to offer to wash them!
We might have the picture in our minds that the Last Supper was a
holy meal with 12 wise, mature, and godly men in attendance—but John
indicated that was not so.
Surprise Two:
The devil was among the disciples that night! (That is not a
surprise unique to John but it is surprising none-the-less.)
The devil came in on Judas’ heel, but he went out in Judas’ heart!
I. Jesus always knew about Judas.
A. There are many references to Judas as the traitor in the
gospels but we need look no further than this text.
John 13:18 … I know whom I have chosen….
B. Jesus knew what these men were WHEN He choose them NOT
when they revealed themselves to Him.
1. Jesus knew Peter had the foot-in-the mouth disease when He
called him.
2. Jesus knew…
a. that Thomas would doubt,
b. that Nathaniel was opinionated,
c. that John was loving and kind to a fault,
d. that James and John were judgmental.
3. And Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him!
4. Jesus is God. He knows everything there is to know!
C. God is not looking for "perfect" workers or even the best
workers. He deliberately selects the faulty ones.
1Cor 1:26 For ye see your calling, brethren,
how that not many wise men after the flesh, not
many mighty, not many noble, are called:
27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of
the world to confound the wise; and God hath
chosen the weak things of the world to confound
the things which are mighty;
28 And base things of the world, and things
which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and
things which are not, to bring to nought things
that are:
29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.
D. Why did Jesus pick Judas?
1. \\#18\\ …that the Scripture might be fulfilled….
a. God looked ahead and saw that there was a traitor in
the disciples and God left it that way.
b. Surely God could have changed the way things were
going to work out if He wanted to, but in His
sovereignty, He did not.
c. God sovereignly wanted someone to betray the Son.
d. Wny?
(1) Judas pictures those who will reject Jesus for a
price, a job, a thrill, or an evil heart.
(2) Not everyone in hell goes there ignorantly.
(3) While ignorance may be the number one reason for
damnation, some choose to reject Jesus.
(4) Their patron saint will be Judas.
2. I think Jesus wanted to give Judas a chance.
a. Yes, God knew what Judas was going to do but God did
not reject him for what Judas was GOING to do.
b. Jesus called Judas, taught Judas, walked and lived
with Judas, so that Judas could have a choice.
c. Even the most wicked heart has a choice! Jesus did
not quit loving Judas. Judas quit loving Jesus.
d. There are many wonderful things about our God but one
of them is that doesn’t quit loving you just because
He knows you will not love Him.
II. Jesus loved Judas with an impartial love.
A. Jesus knew a secret about Judas from the very beginning.
Joh 6:64 But there are some of you that believe
not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they
were that believed not, and who should betray
him.
B. But Jesus never revealed it.
1. Jesus gave Judas the same power as the other disciples.
Mt 10:1 And when he had called unto him his
twelve disciples, he gave them power against
unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal
all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.
a. Notice the specific reference to "his twelve."
b. There is never a time in the Bible when Jesus somehow
excluded Judas from what was happening.
2. Jesus humbled Himself before Judas even AFTER Judas had
decided to betray Him.
a. \\#John 13:1-17\\ Jesus washed the disciples’ feet.
b. We discussed that the lesson behind that act was to
teach humility and servitude.
John 13:2 And supper being ended, the devil
having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot,
Simon’s son, to betray him;
c. \\#John 13:21-30\\ But Satan does not enter into Judas
until later.
d. So what does \\#John 13:2\\ actually mean? It means
that Judas had already made up his mind what he was
going to do!
e. By the way, Satan did not take control of Judas until
after Judas decided he wanted to do what the devil
wanted him to do!
f. But John makes it clear that Judas was present when
Jesus washed the disciples’ feet and that Jesus would
have washed Judas’ feet!
3. \\#John 13:29\\ In fact, Jesus had treated Judas with such
respect, love, and grace, that even when the sop was
handed to Judas, the disciples still not think Judas was
the traitor.
C. The conclusion is that even though Jesus always knew what
Judas would do, Jesus loved Judas with an impartial love.
D. My theory - You will never know who is saved and who is lost
by the way God treats them.
1. Granted that some (by their sinful lives) heap more pain
and problems upon themselves but that is their doing, not
God’s.
2. God deals with mankind as a whole.
a. God gives sunshine to the just and the unjust, but He
also gives air, jobs, wealth, and opportunities.
b. At the same time, God’s best also get sick, lose
children, get laid off, die from war and famine, and
so forth.
3. You can stay lost if you want to but remember that God has
always treated you just like one of His own.
III. Jesus was troubled over Judas.
John 13:21 When Jesus had thus said, he was
troubled in spirit, and testified, and said,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of
you shall betray me.
A. Troubled meant then just what it means today. Jesus was
bothered, upset, concerned with something.
B. What was Jesus troubled about?
1. Without doubt, Jesus was troubled over the cross.
Joh 12:27 Now is my soul troubled; and what
shall I say? Father, save me from this hour:
but for this cause came I unto this hour.
Mt 26:38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is
exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye
here, and watch with me.
(At which time an angel ministered to Him \\#Luke 22:43\\.)
2. However, here Jesus shared what was troubling Him.
a. There was one there that would betray Him.
b. The Bible does not narrow it down anymore than that.
c. Was Jesus troubled over the fact that He would be
betrayed or was He troubled over Judas who would
betray Him?
d. I believe Jesus was troubled over Judas!
3. Who can know the mind of God but it would it not be
interesting if instead of Judas being troubled over
what he was about to do to Jesus, Jesus was troubled
over what He would one day have to do to Judas?
3. I think God is more concerned with what He is going to
have to do to sinners than sinners are concerned with
how they have treated God!
2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not …willing that any
should perish….
Mt 26:24 The Son of man goeth as it is written
of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of
man is betrayed! it had been good for that man
if he had not been born.
IV. So what happened?
A. Since Jesus and the twelve disciples seemed to always travel
together, Judas would have had to betray Jesus during the
last week of Jesus’ life.
1. By last week, I mean after the triumphant entry.
2. (Which was also after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.
Strange how a miracle that brought many to accept Jesus
did not have any effect on Judas.)
3. I believe that Judas was one of the many who shouted
"Hosanna!" as Jesus entered into Jerusalem, thinking He
would go to the temple, proclaim Himself King, and cast
out the Romans. When that did not happen, Judas’ heart
turned against Jesus.
4. As the Passover feast drew near, Judas sought out the
religious leaders when he had opportunity and agreed to
sell Jesus’ out for money \\#Lu 22:4-5\\.
5. From that point on, Judas watched for a time when Jesus
might be alone.
(a) He was to send word when that happened.
(b) The original plan was to wait until AFTER the
Passover \\#Matt 26:5, Mark 14:2\\.
(c) In the upper room that night, Judas was just playing
through the motions. As I have said, he probably
had the 30 pieces of silver in his pocket!
(d) Once Jesus pointed Judas out, he knew he could not
wait and immediately went to tell the religious
leaders he had been found out and if they were going
to take Jesus, they would have to do it that night.
6. It was during those few seconds, after Judas was exposed
and before he knew just what to do next, that Satan
entered into Judas.
John 13:27 And after the sop Satan entered
into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou
doest, do quickly.
(a) Satan only helped Judas do what Judas had already
decided he was going to do.
(b) Satan’s power seems greatly limited.
(a) Satan can tempt you.
(b) Satan can deceive you.
(c) Satan can help you do what you want to do.
7. Judas will have to seek out a higher up among the
religious leaders who will have to convene a few of his
co-conspirators together. They will talk for a few
minutes and decide it is now or never. The temple guards
will be summoned and together, they will probably go to
the upper room first. Finding the disciples had already
left, Judas will recommend two or three places where
they might have gone and one of them will be the Garden
on the Mount of Olives.
8. While ever is doing all of that (it will take several
hours), Jesus will teach awhile in the upper room and
then go pray for several hours on Mount Olivet, all the
while knowing what was going to happen.
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