John 13:21 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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John 13:21

Comments

There then is a third unseen thing which is introduced to them and this is the depth of hypocrisy. We are going to go back to Judas again. Why should he be troubled in spirit, having uttered the words of verse 20? He no sooner has said to the disciples, ‘You are my representatives. You introduce people to God and to heaven’ than his mind goes back to Judas and he is deeply troubled. To think Judas also was trained for this. Judas was offered this highest of all places in life: the opportunity to be a representative of Christ. He saw the miracles close up, thousands of them. He heard every word that Christ had said. And there is something so deeply and profoundly evil in the matter of the heart of Judas: that this means nothing to him. All he harboured is resentment and disaffection.And if we could do justice to the Greek in the English language, we would put the word ‘you’ in capitals. That is where the emphasis is. ‘That one of you’, of all people, ‘shall betray me’, you who have received so much love and so much light and so much kindness and such a high office, and seen so many wonderful things. This is the depths of hypocrisy.

Application

Hypocrisy is a terrible thing. Satan tries to launch hypocrisy into every Christian heart. What a triumph for Satan. If a true Christian – maybe it was easy with Judas, he was not converted, he was not true, he was a phoney from the beginning. But with a true Christian, to plant hypocrisy is such a triumph of Satan. If somebody becomes a gossip, malicious gossip among the family of God’s people, what hypocrisy they have to engage in, pretending to pray, pretending to sing, pretending and feigning love, when hypocrisy is going on. It is not just the gossip which is the sin, it is the hypocrisy which must go with it. Fear hypocrisy friends.

What about backsliding? Skipping of personal devotions and prayer and worship. Staying at home and watching some carnal program on television instead of rendering praise to God. What if there is some backsliding, and the heart is cold and thoughts are altogether centred around ourselves. But we do come out to morning worship and we sing the hymns and pray and talk to fellow Christians. But we do not tell them what is going on in our hearts, that currently we are backslidden. It is not just the backsliding, it is the hypocrisy. Fear hypocrisy because it grows, and it seizes hold of us, and it takes us down, and it makes us worse.

Questions

Why was it allowed? Why did Christ ever choose Judas? Why did he allow it to go on to the last moment? Well partly, I think, to demonstrate the hardness of the unconverted human heart. We know that it is possible to be one of the twelve and to see all the evidence imaginable and to hear the most wonderful things, and still to have a hard heart. Judas gives us a glimpse of how hard the human heart is, unless the grace of God works and softens it and breaks it and humbles it. And then there is another reason why Judas is allowed. It is a warning to the church. We believe and we strive for a regenerate church membership, but it is always possible to be those who never really come to Christ in our midst. And it is a warning to us. And when people turn away and stalk off and give up, it is because they never were converted in the first place. But then it is the purpose of God. There had to be a Judas so that there could be a betrayer, so that the purposes of God could be carried out.

Outline

Purpose

Introduction

John 13:21 Commentary and Bible Study

Explain meaning of John 13:21