August 28, 2023

Exposed In Darkness

“Therefore Jesus said to him, ‘What you do, do quickly.’” John 13:27b (NASB)

             We all can think of those who spent their entire life without Jesus as Savior. It is a scary thing to imagine what a person wakes to when they die without Christ as their Savior. It is a reality though. Some choose Jesus’ forgiveness, and some do not. The Bible tells us there are many who will not enter the kingdom of heaven and few that will: “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). Judas chose his path. He was a victim of his darkened heart. He bears the responsibility for his choice. His deeds were his own. He victimized himself when he rejected Jesus’ love for him.

            “Therefore Jesus said to him, ‘What you do, do quickly.’” Hughes says, “I wonder as he left the Upper Room that night whether he paused and looked longingly back at the light. I wonder if he thought about turning back. How alone he was! He now had to follow the movements of the Eleven, concealing himself as Jesus and his men crossed the Kidron on their way to Gethsemane. How great his loss! He was now separated from the apostolic fellowship, and never again would he sit at table with the Eleven. Their acquaintance and friendship was eternally terminated. Even worse, he was separated from Christ. Never would he see the Master’s face except in terror on the future day of judgment. He was separated from peace of mind too, though his soul-anguish was only an earnest of what was to come.”[1] It is interesting how the apostle John adds in John 13:30, “and it was night.” Not only was it physically dark, but a dark state of affairs was in progress. It was night for a life that had chosen darkness. On the other hand, Jesus too was eager to finish the course which was led for Him. He said to Judas, “What you do, do quickly.” Jesus expresses how He longed for it in Luke 12:50, “But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!” The baptism Jesus was about to undergo was not that of one in the Jordan river, but of the crucifixion. Jesus wanted the disciples to understand this in Mark 10:36, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” Clearly, in the future the disciples would experience some sort of persecution leading to their deaths, but only one would face the cross: Peter. Unverified stories over the centuries say Peter was crucified upside down (him not being not worthy of Jesus’ death), but most evidence points otherwise. With Jesus sending Judas off to his deeds, we see Jesus’ somewhat relieved. His traitor was now out of the way, no longer sitting among them.

            We have all experienced something like this. There have been times we have been in the presence of someone who has not liked us, and we have felt stifled. But then that person left, and the conversation flowed without restraint or ambiguity. Now, as Jesus spoke of the impending cross, He could change the conversation to a brighter outlook of the future to come. With this, Jesus turned from the address of a traitor to a demand of love in some of His deepest teachings of all time. Jesus could now address His disciples about something they would be empowered to do in the coming days; to love one another. This is the greatest sign of genuine conversion…  

[1] Hughes, R. K. (1999). John: that you may believe (p. 324). Crossway Books.