“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.” John 13:26 NKJV
RELATIONSHIP:
Do you already have a relationship with a powerful God who cares about your every need because He loves you? Did you know my God can communicate with you and protect you – He has a plan for you to prosper if you just submit to His will and let His plan play out in your life!!! God wants a relationship with you and has already made a plan for your life. He loves you so much He sent His son to this world, to die as a sacrifice for your sins and rise from death with victory over sin and the ability to have a personal relationship with you.
Do you want to know truth? Be able to discern lies? Know how to figure it all out in these confusing times and have peace? The Bible says Jesus is the truth. I have experienced it and it has changed my life. I was once a hot mess of sin, promiscuity, drug and alcohol use and so much more. But I was lost and when I could not find my way, or find a truth, I numbed it with bad choses. When I found Jesus, and truth – I found peace and deliverance from those things.
If you want a relationship with God without truth you will get the counterfeit, hypocritical Christianity that has kept some of you away for too long. You need truth and relationship. You need to be honest with yourself and God (including honest repentance) and God will reveal truth to you. It becomes the two way, interaction that your relationship with God is built on. This is why Jesus is called the truth, because he is our only way to the Father.
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Romans 10:9-10 NIV
Here is a prayer for you to pray:
Jesus, I believe you are the way, the truth, the life, and the only way to the Father. I believe you are the son of God, you came to Earth and lived. That you died on the cross as a sacrifice for my sins, and rose again so that I may be saved from my sins and be able to get to know you. I declare: Jesus, you are Lord!
Therefore, I confess that I am a sinner and I ask that you forgive me of my sins and come into my life. Help me to turn away from my sins and transform me into what you have lovingly created me to be. Help me through a real personal relationship grow and accept your will for my life – that I may live in your blessings. Please walk with me, and talk with me – I accept a relationship with you and with our Father God, through you. In the name of Jesus I pray ~ Amen
BIBLE READING:
Dear Heavenly Father – Please give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of who you are, who Jesus is, and who the Holy Spirit is. Open the eyes of our understanding, please, so we may know the hope of our calling and the vast sovereignty and power of the grace of the cross. Please do not let us miss out on what you want and need from us today. Lord, I pray that your word prepares us and not scares us! We forbid the works and influences of fear over your word and our sound mind. And please keep us and bless us and shine your face upon us and pour out grace over us and give us peace! And we pray for the peace of Jerusalem! Thank you! – In Jesus name we pray, Amen
Today’s reading we will re-read the same passage in the Gospel of John, chapter 13 at verse 18 (embedded below for your convenience in the NKJV).
Jesus Identifies His Betrayer
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 [c]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 [d]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 [e]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.
John 13:18-30 NKJV
MEMORY VERSE CHALLENGE:
“And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” Luke 4:8 KJV
BIBLE DISCUSSION:
Revelation, exposing of the evil plots, and calling out the people under the influence of the devil and bring them to repentance, are prayers we are all praying in our modern world. We would love the evil plots be corrupt politicians to be reveals. We would love the Epstein list to be exposed. We all love a strong conversion story – once deceived and doing the devil bidding turned preacher like Paul on the road to Damascus!
We do not like having to live with the betrayer.
Sadly we must endure, everyone will not be saved and our betrayers are the ones governing us and in positions of authority over us. But we can pray and intercede. And we can even sit at a feast and celebrate with them.
Let’s look at how Jesus handled it.
“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.’”
Let us recall some of the lessons we have learned from symbols. Because in Hebrew culture symbols are very important and they would not have missed the symbols in this story adding to the context.
They are at a table, the place of communion, provision and abundance. Bread is the symbol of provisions, body and flesh; wine is the symbol of abundance, life and blood; and oil is the symbol of the Holy Spirit, anointing, and God’s mark.
Jesus is quoting a Psalm:
“Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.” Psalm 41:9 NKJV
‘Who ate my bread’ – partook in the provisions and blessing, saw the miracles, was part of the circle of friends. Part of me wonders if Jesus knew all along about Judas, or if God did not even tell Jesus until Passion Week. Regardless of when Jesus knew – He did know well ahead of everyone else and He still washed His feet, communed and provided for Judas.
“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.”
Jesus is only telling the disciples so they see that prophecy was fulfilled, proving moreover that Jesus is the messiah. I am sure that could have been a huge question when Jesus did not have his angels rescue him. They must have wondered since God cannot die, how can His Son?! I am getting ahead of myself. The point is, they could think back and see this was foretold as far back as in the Psalms.
“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.
With all of that, they still did not get the point of what Jesus was saying, so Jesus declares there is a traitor among them! And John says the reaction was shock and perplexity. Other accounts say the disciples asked if it was them, which shows us a teachable heart. Many probably declared “Not Me!”
Leave it to Peter and John to just ask.
“23 Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.”
‘One whom Jesus loved’ was John, the author of this book. The other disciples call him that. As we discussed many times before John understood love, Jesus and the Father in ways others did not – and to get that wisdom, we are focusing on the books of John this year. He was Jesus’s favorite – if ever Jesus could have a favorite.
Here they are laying around eating and lounging and having a fantastic time and John is literally leaning on Jesus’s chest. Not Peter, not Matthew, and not Thaddeus. Can you imagine being that close to Him in person?!
So Peter gets John’s attention and told him to ask Jesus who it was.
“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.”
Bread – the symbol of provisions and the body, dipped in oil which represents the Holy Spirit – this is meaningful. Judas’s motives are often thought to be greed and Jesus, the provider was handing him his provisions, he had no want or need. Jesus handed His body dipped in the Holy Spirit to Judas – and Judas was about to be possessed by satan. When we get under heavy spiritual warfare, at least we aren’t being attacked by satan himself! And for those who feel bad for Judas, we see Jesus handed Him everything physically, symbolically and spiritually that he needed to make the right choice. Jesus handed it all to him!
With John leaning on Jesus, Judas was close enough to just hand a piece of bread! Yet far enough away for him to not have heard the whisperings. Jesus doesn’t make it clear to Judas that He knows until:
“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.”
The point of no return for Judas. And on the heels of Jesus saying one of them will betray Him, they all still gave Judas the benefit of the doubt and thought he was running an errand for Jesus. None of them apparently suspected Judas.
“30 Having received the piece of bread, he then went out immediately. And it was night.”
May God reveal the evil plots against your life and may you have eye to see and ears to hear. Jesus exposed Judas and almost everyone missed it! May God exposed those with evil intentions, and may we not miss the bread being passed. May that one be convicted unto righteousness and converted to Christ! We pray in the name of Jesus – AMEN
Please join us tomorrow as we continue to discuss the Book of John.
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I also wanted to remind and inform all of you, that instead of writing a book on fasting (since it is the topic I get asked the most about) I have created a Facebook group that is designed to be interactive and give you all the Bible verses on fasting, all the types of fast, and how to fast. In the group are specialist to help us along the way, like the creator of The Fasting Protocol (fasting for health and weight loss; which is part of fasting and important to know about – He can also speak to fasting in a healthy manner). The group is new and other experts are invited, I am hopeful they will join. So let’s join the group and see what we will learn about prayer and fasting. Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/509149707741862
Thank you for reading in 2023 – a Year of Grace and Provision
May the God of peace keep you and bless you. May you stay focused on Christ and covered in grace. Walk in wisdom.
Maranatha ~ Come Lord Jesus!
If Not For Grace 