JUNE 3, 2018
JESUS ALONE WITH THE ELEVEN
INTRODUCTION:
1. In this passage we find our Lord at last alone with His eleven faithful disciples.
a) The traitor, Judas Iscariot, had left the room to do his wicked deed of darkness.
b) Freed from the pain of his company, our Lord speaks more freely and fully to His little flock than ever before.
c) Matthew Henry calls this and what follows to the end of Chapter 14 “Christ’s table talk with His disciples.” When Judas went out, Christ and the eleven remained sitting at the table.
2. But, what did our Lord talk about with the disciples as they sat around the table after supper?
a) They applied themselves to profitable discourse. This teaches us to make use of the time we have around the Lord’s table and learn from Him.
b) Their attention was focused on their Master, Who, on this occasion, had much to tell them by way of preparation and comfort.
3. Speaking to them for the last time before His passion, He begins a discourse which for touching interest surpasses any portion of Scripture.
I. HE BEGINS BY DECLARING WHAT GLORY HIS CRUCIFIXION BROUGHT BOTH TO GOD THE FATHER AND TO GOD THE SON. (VERSES 31, 32) This is obviously what He had in mind when He said, “Now is the Son of man glorified, and god is glorified in Him.” The same as before, when He prayed, “Father, glorify thy name.” (See Ch.12:27, 28), the hour of which He spoke was that of His passion and death, which was now at hand. His work on earth was finished, and the event that was to take place tomorrow, however painful to the eleven, was in reality most glorifying to both Himself and the Father.
A. THIS SAYING WAS DARK AND MYSTERIOUS TO THE ELEVEN. (VERSE 31) “Now is the son of man glorified, and God is glorified in Him.”
1. Where was the glory in something that was expressly cursed? (Gal. 3:3)
2. How can there be glory in such a death?
a) In all the ignominy and humiliation, which He saw coming, or heard about the next day?
b) In hanging naked for six hours between two thieves?
c) In an event that filled the minds of the Apostles with shame, disappointment and dismay?
3. Yet, our Lord said it was so.
B. THE CRUCIFIXION BROUGHT GLORY TO THE FATHER. “…God is glorified in Him.”
1. When the Father answered the son in Chapter 12:28, “I have glorified it (My Name) and will glorify it again,” this is what He meant.
2. The crucifixion glorified His wisdom, faithfulness, holiness, and love.
a) It showed Him wise in providing a plan of redemption whereby He could be just and yet the Justifier of the ungodly. (Rom. 3:26; I Pet. 3:18)
b) It showed Him faithful in keeping His promise that the Seed of the woman should bruise the serpent’s head. (Gen. 3:15)
c) It showed Him holy in requiring His Law’s demands to be satisfied by our great Substitute.
d) It showed Him loving, in providing such a Mediator, such a Redeemer, and such a Friend for sinful man as His own co-eternal Son.
C. THE CRUCIFIXION BROUGHT GLORY TO THE SON. “Now is the Son of man glorified.”
1. When the Son prayed, “Father, the hour is come, glorify thy Son,” He was asking for that which He here declared.
2. The crucifixion glorified the son’s compassion, His patience, and His power.
a) It showed Him most compassionate, in
(1) dying for us, suffering in our stead;
(2) allowing Himself to be counted sin and a curse:
(3) and buying our redemption with His own blood.
b) It showed Him most patient, in
(1) not dying the common death of most men, but willingly submitting to the unknown agonies of the cross;
(2) not summoning His Father’s angels to come and set Him free. (Matt. 26:53)
c) It showed Him most powerful in bearing the weight of all the world’s transgressions, and vanquishing Satan, and forcing the release of his prey.
D. LET US EVER REMEMBER OUR LORD’S WORDS ABOUT THE CROSS AND THEIR MEANING.
1. Painting, sculptures, and crucifixes cannot represent the cross, because they do not tell the story.
2. God’s Law honored, man’s sin borne, sin’s punishment accomplished in a Substitute, free salvation bought for man – of all this they say nothing, yet the crucifixion is all of this.
II. JESUS NEXT ADDRESSES THE SUBJECT OF BROTHERLY LOVE, AND STRESSES THE GREAT IMPORTANCE OF IT. (VERSES 33-35)
A. THE PREMISE FOR THE DISCUSSION IS THE FACT OF HIS SOON GOING AWAY. (VERSE 33) “Little children, yet a little while I am with you.”
1. This is the only time our Lord ever calls His disciples by this title: “Little children.”
a) This does not bespeak their weakness, but rather His own tender love and affection for them.
b) This is the language of a loving father speaking to his children, whom he is about to leave alone as orphans in the world.
2. Almost as soon as the false apostle left the faithful eleven comes the injunction, “Love one another.”
B. THIS INJUNCTION HE CALLS A “NEW COMMANDMENT.” (VERSES 34,35)
1. He calls it “a new commandment,” not because it was novel, and had not been given before. (Matt. 22:37-40)
2. But, it was now to be honored, to occupy a higher position, to be backed by a higher example than ever before. (John 15:13)
3. Above all, it was to be the test and witness of Christianity before the world. “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (Verse 35)
a) Clearly, this is a much purer and higher love than that which an unbelieving world talks about.
b) The love of Christ for His own sets the standard for Christian love. (I John 3:16; I Cor. 13:3-7)
III. JESUS NEXT ADDRESSES HIS WORDS TO PETER’S ANXIOUS QUESTIONS. (VERSES 36-38)
A. HERE, AS ELSEWHERE, PETER’S FORWARD IMPULSIVE SPIRIT PROMPTS HIM TO ANXIOUSLY ASK QUESTIONS THAT WERE DOUBTLESS ON THE MINDS OF THE OTHERS ALSO. (VRS. 36, 37)
1. The first question is, “Whither goest thou?”
a) How very little had the disciples understood respecting the Lord’s repeated sayings regarding His leaving, i.e. His death.
b) Often He had spoken of His death, yet they still did not take it in, and were startled when He spoke of going away.
c) It is stunning how much Gospel truth folks can hear and yet because of preconceived notions, they are unable to receive it.
2. Peter’s second question came in response to Jesus’ answer to his first question. “Lord, why can I not follow thee now?”
a) To the first question, “Whither goest thou?” Jesus answered, “Whither I go thou canst not follow me now.”
b) Peter, like a child begging his father, said, “Lord, why can I not follow thee now?”
c) Jesus’ promise, “but thou shalt follow me afterward,” did not seem to satisfy him.
(1) We certainly understand this on a natural level. Children, when told they must wait until later are prone to react exactly as Peter did.
(2) But, Peter had no clue what Jesus words, “Ye shall follow me afterward,” really meant, either as to when that might be, or as to how it would be.
B. PETER’ S BOLD ARGUMENT AS FOR WHY HE WAS READY TO FOLLOW HIS LORD NOW REVEALED A LACK OF KNOWLEDGE OF HIMSELF. “I will lay down my life for thy sake.”
1. That Peter was sincere in his statement of loyalty we do not doubt.
2. It is very common for us to think more highly of ourselves than we ought.
3. Therefore, let us learn to preface our resolves with, “by God’s grace,” or “if the Lord wills, I will do thus and so.”
C. JESUS ANSWERED PETER’S BOLD STATEMENT WITH A TRUE PREDICTION OF HIS FAILURE. (VERSE 38)
1. Jesus asks, “Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake?” That is, “Wilt thou really and truly be willing to die for me? You little know your own weakness and feebleness.”
2. Jesus then revealed His knowledge of His over-confident disciple. “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, the cock shall not crow until thou had denied me thrice.”
a) See here an example of our Lord’s wonderful foreknowledge. How unlikely it seemed that such a bold professor should fall so far so soon. Yet, Jesus foresaw it all.
b) Let us note the wonderful kindness and condescension of Jesus. He knew very well the weakness and feebleness of His chief disciple, and yet never rejected him, and even restored him again after his fall.
c) Christians should be men and women with very tender feelings toward weak brethren.
(1) Let us never forget our Lord’s continued grace and kindness toward us.
(2) Let us never forget His kind dealings with Peter, and seek to be likeminded. (Gal. 6:1, 2; Eph. 4:32)
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