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Lessons on Sin & Love from the Night of Betrayal
Shaun Rossi // The Gospel of John
Judas’ betrayal of Jesus gives us deeper understanding of of the depths of human sin and the lengths of God’s love.
“18 I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ 19 I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he. 20 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.” 21 After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. 23 One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus’ side, 24 so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. 25 So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” 28 Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. 29 Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. 30 So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night. ”
— John 13:18-30
Sermon OutlineI. The Heart of Sin
“and it grieved him to his heart.”
— Genesis 6:6
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
— Romans 3:23
II. The Nature of Sin
“Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” 71 He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.”
— John 6:70-71
“Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.”
— Psalm 41:9
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.”
— Isaiah 55:8
“Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. 2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”
— Philippians 3:1-11
III. The Remedy for Sin
“but God shows his love for us in that )while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
— Romans 5:8
did da vince get the last supper right?
To understand our text, you need to realize that Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting of the Last Supper, where the men are seated next to one another on the same side of a long table, is historically incorrect. Rather, the men were reclining at a low U-shaped table. They leaned on their left elbow with their feet going out from the table so that they could eat with their right hand. Jesus was at the bottom of the U. John was to His right, so that it would have been easy for him to lean back on Jesus’ chest and whisper in His ear in verse 25, “So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?”
So probably, Judas was then at Jesus’ left, in the seat of honor, as one last gesture of love from Jesus toward Judas. After Jesus announced that one of the twelve would betray Him, Judas asked “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” (Matthew 26:25) Jesus replied, “You have said it yourself.” That conversation had to be whispered in private as Jesus leaned back toward Judas. Otherwise, the other disciples would have known that Judas was the betrayer and they would not have thought as it says in verses 28-29 that Judas went out either to buy food for the feast or to give some funds to the poor.
Furthermore if Judas was reclining immediately to Jesus’ left, He easily could have handed Judas the morsel of bread that was dipped in a sauce and handed to the guest of honor as a gesture of love and friendship. So Jesus was reaching out to Judas right up till the end.
As beautiful as Da Vini’s painting is, the Scriptures paint the seen so much better and more meaningfully.
Why was jesus ‘troubled’?In verse 21 of our text John reports that Jesus was “troubled” as he shared His last meal with the disciples before the cross. John MacArthur lists many reasons that Jesus was troubled in spirit on this occasion:
“He was troubled because of the unrequited love of Judas;
He was troubled because of the ingratitude in Judas’ heart;
He was troubled because He had a deep hatred of sin and it was sitting right next to Him, sin incarnate;
He was troubled because He was shrinking about from contact with the one about to betray Him;
He was troubled because He knew of the eternal destiny in Hell;
He was troubled because He could see with His omnipotent eye Satan moving around Judas;
He was troubled because He had a knowledge of the sin of the betrayer and the terrors of his eternal punishment;
He was troubled because He sensed all that sin and death meant;
He was troubled because He had an inner awareness that Judas was a classic illustration of the wretchedness of sin, sin which He would have to bear in His own body on the next day, sin for which He would be made responsible, and would die for.”
He was troubled because of the ingratitude in Judas’ heart;
He was troubled because He had a deep hatred of sin and it was sitting right next to Him, sin incarnate;
He was troubled because He was shrinking about from contact with the one about to betray Him;
He was troubled because He knew of the eternal destiny in Hell;
He was troubled because He could see with His omnipotent eye Satan moving around Judas;
He was troubled because He had a knowledge of the sin of the betrayer and the terrors of his eternal punishment;
He was troubled because He sensed all that sin and death meant;
He was troubled because He had an inner awareness that Judas was a classic illustration of the wretchedness of sin, sin which He would have to bear in His own body on the next day, sin for which He would be made responsible, and would die for.”
To make it personal, Jesus endured all of that trouble and more to secure your salvation.
SMALL GROUP STUDYNote: Please save time for the application section at the end of the study.Introduction (5 min)1. What comes to mind when you hear the word “betray”? Have you ever been betrayed? If so, what was that experience like for you?
Understand the Text (20 min)1. What is the setting where this conversation with Jesus and his disciples takes place? What has Jesus just done for his disciples?
Describe the love that Jesus has for his disciples. Does his love extend to Judas? Read John 13:1.
Because Jesus loved even Judas, what does this teach us about how we are called to love and serve even those who would betray us?
2. What Scripture is Jesus referring to when he says that the Scripture must be fulfilled? Read Psalm 41:9.
How does what happened with David and his trusted counselor Ahithophel, serve as a prophecy of what will happen with Jesus and his disciple Judas? Read 2 Samuel 15:12 & 31; 16:20-23; 17:5-7.
How does Ahithophel die? Read 2 Samuel 17:23. How does Judas die? Read Matthew 27:3-5.
What does Jesus say about the purpose of prophecy in this passage? Read John 13:19. How does this help prepare the disciples for what is coming next in the life of Jesus?
How can being aware that dark times are coming, help you understand that God is in control when the darkness does come?
3. Why is Jesus troubled in this passage? Read John 13:21.
Are there other times in Jesus’ life when he was troubled? Read John 11:33 and 12:37. What do all of these times of trouble have in common?
Have you ever been troubled knowing that someone was going to turn on you? What happened to ease your trouble?
4. When Jesus tells his disciples that one of them will betray him, how do the other disciples react? Who steps up and wants to know who Jesus is talking about?
5. What does Jesus do to indicate who will betray him? What is normally concluded about the one who is offered the first bite of the Passover meal?
What do we learn about temptation and the role Satan plays in the choices we make from this passage? Read John 13:2 & 27.
6. Where is Judas seated at the table? What does his position tell you about Jesus’ relationship with him? After Judas takes the bread, what does Jesus say to him? What does this tell you about the mission and purpose of Jesus, and his great love for you?
Application (10min)What must keep in mind that Judas didn’t look like a villain in a dark coat, gloating over how he was going to profit at Jesus’ expense. For example when Jesus announced that one of the twelve would betray Him, the other eleven didn’t all turn toward Judas and cry out, “There’s the dirty rat!” Rather, each one was deeply grieved and said In Matthew 26:22 “Is it I, Lord?” Even when Judas left the room to do his dirty deed, the others did not suspect him.
So we note how easy it is to hide sin. Judas was outwardly the same as the rest of the disciples, but he was inwardly far from grace.
The Scriptures provide us with a number of illustrations about how far a person can go from God and yet be saved, but they also provide us with this classic illustration of how close someone may live to God and yet be lost. To outwardly be the same as everyone else and yet inwardly be a hypocrite.
In closing discuss how we as a local church we can cultivate an environment where we can be transparent about sin and help one another to be more authentic in our struggles. What are steps to be taken and stumbling blocks to avoid.
Back to Bulletin
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By United Community ChurchShaun Rossi // The Gospel of John
Judas’ betrayal of Jesus gives us deeper understanding of of the depths of human sin and the lengths of God’s love.
“18 I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ 19 I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he. 20 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.” 21 After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. 23 One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus’ side, 24 so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. 25 So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” 28 Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. 29 Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. 30 So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night. ”
— John 13:18-30
Sermon OutlineI. The Heart of Sin
“and it grieved him to his heart.”
— Genesis 6:6
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
— Romans 3:23
II. The Nature of Sin
“Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” 71 He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.”
— John 6:70-71
“Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.”
— Psalm 41:9
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.”
— Isaiah 55:8
“Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. 2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”
— Philippians 3:1-11
III. The Remedy for Sin
“but God shows his love for us in that )while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
— Romans 5:8
did da vince get the last supper right?
To understand our text, you need to realize that Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting of the Last Supper, where the men are seated next to one another on the same side of a long table, is historically incorrect. Rather, the men were reclining at a low U-shaped table. They leaned on their left elbow with their feet going out from the table so that they could eat with their right hand. Jesus was at the bottom of the U. John was to His right, so that it would have been easy for him to lean back on Jesus’ chest and whisper in His ear in verse 25, “So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?”
So probably, Judas was then at Jesus’ left, in the seat of honor, as one last gesture of love from Jesus toward Judas. After Jesus announced that one of the twelve would betray Him, Judas asked “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” (Matthew 26:25) Jesus replied, “You have said it yourself.” That conversation had to be whispered in private as Jesus leaned back toward Judas. Otherwise, the other disciples would have known that Judas was the betrayer and they would not have thought as it says in verses 28-29 that Judas went out either to buy food for the feast or to give some funds to the poor.
Furthermore if Judas was reclining immediately to Jesus’ left, He easily could have handed Judas the morsel of bread that was dipped in a sauce and handed to the guest of honor as a gesture of love and friendship. So Jesus was reaching out to Judas right up till the end.
As beautiful as Da Vini’s painting is, the Scriptures paint the seen so much better and more meaningfully.
Why was jesus ‘troubled’?In verse 21 of our text John reports that Jesus was “troubled” as he shared His last meal with the disciples before the cross. John MacArthur lists many reasons that Jesus was troubled in spirit on this occasion:
“He was troubled because of the unrequited love of Judas;
He was troubled because of the ingratitude in Judas’ heart;
He was troubled because He had a deep hatred of sin and it was sitting right next to Him, sin incarnate;
He was troubled because He was shrinking about from contact with the one about to betray Him;
He was troubled because He knew of the eternal destiny in Hell;
He was troubled because He could see with His omnipotent eye Satan moving around Judas;
He was troubled because He had a knowledge of the sin of the betrayer and the terrors of his eternal punishment;
He was troubled because He sensed all that sin and death meant;
He was troubled because He had an inner awareness that Judas was a classic illustration of the wretchedness of sin, sin which He would have to bear in His own body on the next day, sin for which He would be made responsible, and would die for.”
He was troubled because of the ingratitude in Judas’ heart;
He was troubled because He had a deep hatred of sin and it was sitting right next to Him, sin incarnate;
He was troubled because He was shrinking about from contact with the one about to betray Him;
He was troubled because He knew of the eternal destiny in Hell;
He was troubled because He could see with His omnipotent eye Satan moving around Judas;
He was troubled because He had a knowledge of the sin of the betrayer and the terrors of his eternal punishment;
He was troubled because He sensed all that sin and death meant;
He was troubled because He had an inner awareness that Judas was a classic illustration of the wretchedness of sin, sin which He would have to bear in His own body on the next day, sin for which He would be made responsible, and would die for.”
To make it personal, Jesus endured all of that trouble and more to secure your salvation.
SMALL GROUP STUDYNote: Please save time for the application section at the end of the study.Introduction (5 min)1. What comes to mind when you hear the word “betray”? Have you ever been betrayed? If so, what was that experience like for you?
Understand the Text (20 min)1. What is the setting where this conversation with Jesus and his disciples takes place? What has Jesus just done for his disciples?
Describe the love that Jesus has for his disciples. Does his love extend to Judas? Read John 13:1.
Because Jesus loved even Judas, what does this teach us about how we are called to love and serve even those who would betray us?
2. What Scripture is Jesus referring to when he says that the Scripture must be fulfilled? Read Psalm 41:9.
How does what happened with David and his trusted counselor Ahithophel, serve as a prophecy of what will happen with Jesus and his disciple Judas? Read 2 Samuel 15:12 & 31; 16:20-23; 17:5-7.
How does Ahithophel die? Read 2 Samuel 17:23. How does Judas die? Read Matthew 27:3-5.
What does Jesus say about the purpose of prophecy in this passage? Read John 13:19. How does this help prepare the disciples for what is coming next in the life of Jesus?
How can being aware that dark times are coming, help you understand that God is in control when the darkness does come?
3. Why is Jesus troubled in this passage? Read John 13:21.
Are there other times in Jesus’ life when he was troubled? Read John 11:33 and 12:37. What do all of these times of trouble have in common?
Have you ever been troubled knowing that someone was going to turn on you? What happened to ease your trouble?
4. When Jesus tells his disciples that one of them will betray him, how do the other disciples react? Who steps up and wants to know who Jesus is talking about?
5. What does Jesus do to indicate who will betray him? What is normally concluded about the one who is offered the first bite of the Passover meal?
What do we learn about temptation and the role Satan plays in the choices we make from this passage? Read John 13:2 & 27.
6. Where is Judas seated at the table? What does his position tell you about Jesus’ relationship with him? After Judas takes the bread, what does Jesus say to him? What does this tell you about the mission and purpose of Jesus, and his great love for you?
Application (10min)What must keep in mind that Judas didn’t look like a villain in a dark coat, gloating over how he was going to profit at Jesus’ expense. For example when Jesus announced that one of the twelve would betray Him, the other eleven didn’t all turn toward Judas and cry out, “There’s the dirty rat!” Rather, each one was deeply grieved and said In Matthew 26:22 “Is it I, Lord?” Even when Judas left the room to do his dirty deed, the others did not suspect him.
So we note how easy it is to hide sin. Judas was outwardly the same as the rest of the disciples, but he was inwardly far from grace.
The Scriptures provide us with a number of illustrations about how far a person can go from God and yet be saved, but they also provide us with this classic illustration of how close someone may live to God and yet be lost. To outwardly be the same as everyone else and yet inwardly be a hypocrite.
In closing discuss how we as a local church we can cultivate an environment where we can be transparent about sin and help one another to be more authentic in our struggles. What are steps to be taken and stumbling blocks to avoid.
Back to Bulletin