John 13:18-38 (March 17th, 2026)

John continues to introduce Jesus Christ as the One who is bringing the fulfillment of God's Word, spoken through the prophets. What is heartbreaking about the fulfillment is that it is none other than Jesus’ own disciple who would betray Him. Now, the disciples did not know who it was or would be. And, therefore, we too ask ourselves, “Could it be me?” Naturally, we ask what we can do to ensure we are not like Judas Iscariot. Let's take a look.

The one who betrayed Jesus was not an awful "sinner" in those days. He was not an atheist. He was one of Jesus' disciples. While the Pharisees openly wanted to kill Jesus, the one who had already cast Jesus aside in his heart was a disciple. He walked with Jesus and lived with Jesus for three years! Jesus even washed the feet of Judas Iscariot.

After receiving the piece of bread from Jesus, Judas made up his mind to hand Jesus over to a certain death. Scripture describes it by saying, “Satan entered into him.” Judas leaves Jesus, who is the Light, and steps out into the deep darkness of that night.

Now, what turned Judas, who had spent three years with Jesus as a disciple, into a man of darkness? Was it disappointment with the Messiah? Was it greed for money? When looking at Judas, we should not be so quick to judge him. Are we that different than Judas Iscariot? The fact is that the reason we do not abandon our faith in the end is not that our faith is so much better than that of Judas, but because Jesus Christ, the object of our faith, is faithful. Some in the church have faith in their faith. But, we rest not in our faith but in Jesus. There is a big difference between the two.

Even as Judas goes out to betray Jesus, He declares that now He is glorified, and that God also is glorified through Him. This is why we do not lose heart, even when betrayal and darkness seem to be winning. God’s sovereignty cannot be shaken by human foolishness or by Satan’s darkness.

After Judas goes out into the darkness, Jesus gives His disciples a new commandment.

Verses 34–35 say,

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

The command to love one another as God’s covenant people had already been given in Leviticus 19. But Jesus adds, “just as I have loved you.” In other words, the love Jesus calls for is not simply a matter of keeping the law. It is the kind of love in which the Teacher washes the feet of His disciples, and the Master washes the feet of His servants.

In this passage, Jesus says that He will no longer be with His disciples before long. He comforts them by saying, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow afterward.” Peter responds by saying that he is ready to follow even to death. But Jesus tells him, in effect, “I understand your heart, but before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And here is something we must ponder.

What is the difference between Judas Iscariot betraying Jesus and Simon Peter denying Jesus?

Of course, Judas goes into the darkness and makes a decision that actively places him on the side of evil. Peter, by contrast, fails to say openly that he belongs to Jesus Christ. Judas’s betrayal is certainly worse than Peter’s denial. But Peter has nothing to boast about either. The reason Peter was able to remain in the faith was not that he was better than Judas. If Peter had anything more than Judas, it was only this: the merciful compassion of God. In the end, Peter had nothing in himself to boast about.

And we, too, will have nothing to boast about. Even if we are found to remain among the Lord’s faithful people to the very end, our lips will confess only this: it was Jesus alone! Only because of Jesus did we truly live, even for one day as a child of God, a disciple of Jesus Christ. Only because of Jesus did we keep the faith. Hallelujah!