Bible Reading
John 13:1-30 Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, *got up from supper, and *laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself. Then He *poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. So He *came to Simon Peter. He *said to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?” Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.” Peter *said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” Simon Peter *said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” Jesus *said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.”
[03:33] [10:54]So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘HE WHO EATS MY BREAD HAS LIFTED UP HIS HEEL AGAINST ME.’ From now on I am telling you before it comes to pass, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am He. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”
[11:31] [15:34] [17:20] [29:29]When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.” The disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know of which one He was speaking. There was reclining on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. So Simon Peter *gestured to him, and *said to him, “Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking.” He, leaning back thus on Jesus’ bosom, *said to Him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus then *answered, “That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him.” So when He had dipped the morsel, He *took and *gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. After the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Therefore Jesus *said to him, “What you do, do quickly.” Now no one of those reclining at the table knew for what purpose He had said this to him. For some were supposing, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus was saying to him, “Buy the things we have need of for the feast”; or else, that he should give something to the poor. So after receiving the morsel he went out immediately; and it was night.
[33:43] [40:11] [44:41] [46:56]Psalm 41:9 Even my close friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.
[15:34] [16:10] [16:43] [17:20]John 12:1-8 Jesus, therefore, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they made Him a supper there, and Martha was serving; but Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him, *said, “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to poor people?” Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it. Therefore Jesus said, “Let her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of My burial. For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.”
[35:08] [35:17] [36:08] [38:45]Romans 12:9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.
[42:13] [42:43]Observation questions
- In John 13, what does Jesus say is necessary for a person to have a part with Him, and what does He mean when He says that not all the disciples are clean? [10:54]
- What details in John 13 show that Jesus knew Judas would betray Him before Judas openly acted on his plan? [28:42]
- According to John 12:1-8, how do Mary and Judas respond differently to the costly perfume poured out for Jesus?
- What do the disciples assume Judas is doing when Jesus tells him, “What you do, do quickly,” and what does this show about how well Judas hid his intentions? [40:11]
Interpretation questions
- Jesus washed Judas’s feet even though He knew Judas did not believe and would betray Him. What does this reveal about Jesus’ character and His willingness to serve in the face of personal betrayal?
- Psalm 41:9 describes betrayal by a trusted friend who shared a meal. Why does Jesus connect this Psalm with Judas, and how does this deepen the seriousness of Judas’s betrayal? [17:20]
- Jesus says that He tells the disciples about the betrayal beforehand so that they may believe that “I am He.” How does Christ’s knowledge of the betrayal strengthen a believer facing evil or confusion? [29:29]
- Judas used concern for the poor to criticize Mary’s worship, but John reveals that Judas was a thief. Why is it important for believers to consider both a person’s words and the fruit of that person’s life when discerning sincerity? [38:45]
Application questions
- Jesus’ words show that outward closeness to church life is not the same as being cleansed from sin through faith in Him. What are some ways a person can appear spiritually active while avoiding real faith, repentance, and obedience? Where might there be a need for honest self-examination? [11:04]
- Mary treated Jesus as worthy of costly worship, while Judas treated her devotion as waste. What does costly worship of Christ look like in everyday life—through time, money, priorities, service, or obedience? Is there any part of following Christ that has begun to feel like a burden or a waste? [39:31]
- Love must be without hypocrisy. Are there any strained relationships in which there is a temptation to smile outwardly while holding resentment, envy, or anger inwardly? What would sincere, truthful, and loving action look like in that relationship? [42:43]
- Judas secretly looked for an opportunity to tear Jesus down. When complaints or frustrations arise in the church, how can they be handled in a way that seeks truth, peace, and restoration rather than gathering others into division? [41:46]
- Christ knew Judas’s hidden plans, yet Judas’s evil did not overthrow God’s purpose. How can Christ’s sovereignty bring comfort when someone has been hurt by betrayal, dishonesty, or church conflict? [30:44]
- Scripture calls believers to abhor evil and cling to what is good. What practical habits can help the group put away malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander before those sins grow into deeper division? [43:43]
