Today we look at the second part of the life of Judas Iscariot the apostle. We're going to look at Judas in the upper room.

Jesus Washes Judas Feet

We're going to see firstly how Jesus washed Judas' feet. We're reading John chapter 13, verses 4 to 5. John chapter 13 verses 4 to 5 say these words: “He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments, and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.” John 13:4-5 (KJV). It's quite amazing when we think of how the Lord already knew Judas had agreed to betray him. Those very feet had walked to the house of the chief priests, had agreed for the money to be paid, to do the dastardly deed, to walk back. then to the upper room, and the Lord would still wash the feet of such a man and dry those feet as well. Judas allowed the Lord to wash his feet without any complaint, unlike Peter, who objected because he didn't understand what the Lord was doing. He could not feel he could ever allow the Lord to wash his feet.

The Lord made it clear that he was doing something that had a spiritual message for them concerning his ministry for them when he goes back to heaven. and it was also an example of humility. But Judas, we see in this chapter, allows the Lord to wash his feet, eats bread with him, and even takes a sock in his mouth from the Lord when offered to him. Then we see in the garden that he will even kiss the Lord to betray him. He was a most abominable and thoroughly wicked hypocrite. But this makes the Lord's love shine even brighter. For if this man was surely the most wicked man who ever lived, mainly because he had a privilege no other person had, apart from those apostles and the women and those disciples who followed the Lord, of living with the Lord, personally seeing him, seeing the miracles. and having such a closeness to the Lord, and experiencing a love divine, all loves excelling, as the hymn writer would say, and yet he would do this dastardly evil to the Lord. Surely, he must be the most thoroughly wicked, evil man when you think of other wicked men who never had the privilege he had. And yet he would betray the Lord, and yet when we see how wicked he is, yet it only makes the Lord's love and long suffering shine so brightly no human being could ever love like the Lord did or could show long suffering like the Lord did, tolerating such a wicked man in their midst.

A contrast is seen at the beginning of chapter 12 and the beginning of chapter 13 of John. In chapter 12, as we looked at last time, we read then, “Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.” John 12:3 (KJV). At the end of his life on earth, the Lord's feet were anointed. for his fragrant walk always brought glory to his father. His feet did not need washing like the disciples spiritually. His feet were perfect. His walk was perfect. His words were perfect. Everything he did was perfect. And at the end of his life before his crucifixion, he would have that fragrance upon him that showed the fragrance of his life. The feet of the disciples, however, needed washing spiritually. For the whole action of the Lord was twofold.

Firstly, as I said, it's a spiritual lesson he was teaching them and also a lesson in humility. The spiritual lesson is this, of course, that we all need to be washed from our sins. But once we're washed, we're saved. We still sin as believers. And we need the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to convict us and to correct us, to maintain fellowship with God, and to cleanse us from our sinful ways and our departure from God. Day by day, we need this. And so the disciples feet needed to be washed. And this is what the Lord, our great high priest in heaven, does for us. Using the Spirit of God and the Word of God, which is represented by that water, the Holy Spirit convicts us whenever we're wrong, whenever we're doing things that are not right, and we confess our sins, and He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness as 1 John 1 reminds us, and so we maintain that fellowship walking with the Lord because what He did for the disciples in the upper room He does for us every believer day by day.

However the Lord made it clear, Judas was unclean; Judas was not washed all over. In verse 10, we read of chapter 13. “Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.” John 13:10 (KJV). See the Bible tells us in 1 Peter 1:23, being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God which dwelleth, which liveth, and abideth forever. The word of God is the agent. in the washing of regeneration when we are saved, and in our daily walk and cleansing of the believer is the word of God, that is the agent. This is typified by the priests in the Old Testament. When the priests were consecrated for service, they were washed all over. Exodus 29.4 says, “And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water.” Exodus 29:4 (KJV).

So Aaron and I washed head to foot, but then day by day they only needed to wash their hands and feet. Exodus 30 verses 18 and 19 say, “Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal; and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein. For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat,” Exodus 30:18–19 (KJV). So as they served in the tabernacle day by day, they couldn't serve until they first washed their hands and feet. And it's a picture of us as believers. We're washed all over when we are saved by the washing of the water, by the washing of the water of the word, and regeneration. We are washed all over when we believe the gospel. We're saved, cleansed by the precious blood of Christ. But day by day, the word of God is applied to us to cleanse us. So Judas was not washed, the Lord says. He was still in all his filthiness and sin.

Judas Eats Bread with Christ

Then we learn that he ate bread with the Lord Jesus Christ and fulfilled scripture. John chapter 13 verse 18, “I speak not of you all; I know whom I have chosen; but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.” John 13:18 (KJV). The Lord Jesus says these words: The word I is emphatic in the Greek language of the New Testament. I know whom I have chosen. Christ knew each and every one of his twelve apostles because he is omniscient. His God manifests in the flesh. He knows all things. I, that's emphatic; I know whom I have chosen. And he knew exactly what Judas was. an unbeliever and a devil. Just as before when the Lord said that not all of them were clean, so here too He makes Judas the exception to the happiness just mentioned, because before Him lay the torments of the damned.

Clear concerning election and choice, when it's election to salvation, the Father is mentioned as having chosen us. But here when it's to do its service. and the apostleship, the Lord Jesus speaks of having chosen Judas. So it doesn't mean because the Lord chose him that he was saved. He just chose him to be an apostle to fulfil the scripture. But the Lord made it very clear as we saw in our first session that he was an unbeliever and a devil. The Lord quotes from this psalm that David wrote when he was betrayed by Ahithophel. David actually wrote two Psalms concerning Ahithophel's betrayal. Yea, mine own familiar friend in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me." Then he wrote another Psalm, Psalm 55 verse 12-15, “For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him: But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.” Psalm 55:12-15 (KJV).

When we think about David and Ahithophel, we see Ahithophel was a friend whom David trusted. They ate often. He ate often with David. They shared meals together. He was his equal. He was his guide. He was his acquaintance. They took sweet counsel together for Ahithophel was very wise. very smart he was. And they went to the house of God together. You can imagine the shock to David when he heard the news in 2 Samuel 15.31. “And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O LORD, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.” 2Samuel 15:31 (KJV). David responded to the dreadful and fearful news with instant prayer. He knew he was a very smart man. And if Absalom listened to him, David would be killed very quickly. He knew exactly what to do to defeat David.

That's why he cried to God to intervene. And of course the prayer was answered as David reached the top of the Mount of Olives as he was walking up the hill and going into exile, that he met Hushai, the archite, who was the answer to prayer, for he would pretend to advise Absalom. And of course, It will be his advice that Absalom listens to which led to Absalom's defeat. So Absalom's betrayal of David is a type of the betrayal of Judas, of the Savior. But you'll notice that Jesus only quotes the second half of the verse. David said, in whom I trusted, I trusted him. But the Lord doesn't say that of Judas. The Lord doesn't say, Yea, my own familiar friend in whom I trusted. The Lord just mentions that he that eateth bread from me hath lift up his heel against me. See the Lord knew who Judas was. He didn't trust him. Because he knew all things as John 2.25 says, and need not that any should testify of man, for he knew what was in man. Judas fooled everybody, but he didn't fool the Lord.

Ahithophel fooled David into thinking he was a true friend, but he wasn't a true friend, he fooled David. But none of these men could fool the Lord. The Lord knew everything, and see the accuracy of scripture. The Lord only quotes the second half of the verse, for the first half doesn't apply to him, it applied to David, who trusted Ahithophel, but the Lord did not trust Judas. He knew from the beginning that he was a devil and unbeliever. But what a satanic betrayal this was. Ahithophel might have had good reason to be angry at David because of Bathsheba, with whom David committed adultery. But being so close to David, he knew that God had promised him the throne and from him the Messiah would come. So Ahithophel's desire to destroy David was really satanic. in seeking to stop the Messiah coming into the world. Likewise would, Judas seeking to destroy the Lord Jesus. How did he seek to destroy him? How is it described? We're going to see, this is a most graphic picture of treachery and ingratitude that I cannot see anywhere else in scripture.

The greatest treachery and ingratitude is pictured in this verse. He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me. So as the Lord Jesus was kneeling down, washing Judas' feet. In the heart of Judas was the thought that I want to lift up my foot, I want to lift up my heel and bring it down upon his head. The one who was like a servant before washing his feet, showing such love and such humility, the greatest humility. Yet Judas wanted to bring his heel upon the head of the Lord. You see, the devil was behind this. because this is exactly what God said would happen to the devil. Genesis 3 and verse 15, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Genesis 3:15 (KJV). God said to the devil after Adam and Eve sinned, God said, So Satan sought to do through Judas, sought to do to the Lord, crush his head. What God said would happen to Satan. Satan was defeated.

It wasn't the Lord's head that was crushed, though Judas attempted to do that, to have him destroyed. It was Satan's head that was crushed by the Lord Jesus Christ at Calvary and when he rose again from the dead. But there we have a greater scene of treachery and ingratitude cannot be found in the Word of God than this scene here of a man who had love shown to him and yet he would think of doing this to the Lord. eating bread with him, sharing a meal with him like a friend, even receiving a sop in his mouth as a friend. And yet he would what wish to crush the head of the Lord. No wonder the Lord called him a devil. He had the very character of Lucifer himself, the very nature of Satan himself. Yet what a humiliation and, what humility can we say? A greater scene of humility cannot be found than to see the Lord placing himself in such a position to allow men to do their very worst to him. As we read in Psalm 55, David really felt the betrayal of Ahithophel. He would say those words, but it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and my acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together and walked under the house of God in company. He was so pained by what Ahithophel did to him.

And so it was with the Lord, though he knew what Judas would do to him, he nevertheless felt the pain of it, that here is a man who would do this to him. But the Lord Jesus' deity was displayed in verse 19 “Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he.” John 13:19 (KJV). or literally I am. The Lord Jesus declared his name the name of God, I am. Instead of the apostles being stumbled that one of their own would do this, that he would be apostate, that he would be a betrayer, it would really strengthen their faith in the word of God because it foretold these things thousand years before it actually happened. Here's a verse. This verse serves as proof that when the Lord emptied himself, as Philippians 2, verse 7 says, made himself of no reputation, it was not of his divine attributes, but of their independent use. He never ceased to be God when he was here upon earth. All the attributes of God were there.

All the fullness of the Godhead was in him bodily. But he gave up the independent use of them. power and attributes according to what his father told him to do, for he was the servant of God and the Holy Spirit he depended upon and the Holy Spirit's power to do the miracles. So he became completely dependent upon his God and Father as the perfect man. And so the Lord already told them what was going to happen and that they will believe as a result they will believe that he is the great I Am Jehovah God.

Accepting the Sop from Jesus

And now Judas accepts a sop from the Lord. John 13 verse 26. “Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.” John 13:26 (KJV). So here was part of the Passover meal. And there's a definite article here. The sop, the sop, meaning at a Passover ceremony, somebody would take some food and give it to the mouth of somebody they regarded as a friend. And the Lord Jesus was stabbing the conscience of Judas one last time to convict him of what he is doing and showing love to him so that when Judas went out to betray the Lord and shut the door behind him, he went out with the love of God upon him. What a wonderful Savior and God we have. How can we can never understand, we'll never be able to understand the depths of his love. It is beyond our ability to fully understand a love so great that knowing all the things about this man, the Lord will still show friendship to him, still show love to him, even though he was about to betray him.

Judas would have no excuse and neither has anyone any excuse. for rejecting the Saviour. Judas hypocritically takes the Sop and we read these words, very sinister, very solemn, verse 27 of John 13, “And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.” John 13:27 (KJV). I was asked the question by a believer, why is it that Satan entered into him? If he's a devil, if he was already planning to betray the Lord, why did the devil have to enter him? The answer is this, human beings make mistakes. Human beings can change their mind and delay things, not do things as according to plan. We know later on Judas had remorse. The devil did not want any slip-ups, any mistakes in his diabolical plan to destroy the Lord. And so at the very end, he fully possessed Judas so that he would completely control everything that Judas did so that Judas would not make any mistakes in that devilish and diabolical plan to betray the Lord. How awful it is when you think of it.

The Lord told him that he would not hinder him. that what he had planned to do he must do? The Lord submits himself to his Father's will and dismisses Judas. As we can see, that even Satan cannot freely move without divine permission. It had to be that the Lord would die on the Passover day, and so Judas is told, that thou doest do quickly. We're going to see something about this in our third part of our study. And so we find that the disciples were mistaken. Look at the mistake of the disciples in John 13, 28-29. “Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him. For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor.” John 13:28-29 (KJV).

Though the thoughts of the disciples were mistaken about Judas, they showed that they had love for one another. because they did not think Judas was doing something wrong. Just as 1 Corinthians 13 verse 5 says, love thinketh no evil, they put a good motive on what Judas was doing. He's going out to maybe give some money to the poor. So it's plain from this verse that the Lord and his disciples were in the habit of giving to the poor. And also that the Lord did not work miracles to procure food when they had the money to buy it. They did not realize that Judas went out not to buy but to sell their Lord. It was not that Judas was going to give to the poor but that he who was rich for our sakes became poor. That we through his poverty might be made rich as we read in the second Corinthians that our Lord Jesus Christ though he was rich yet for our sakes became poor and how poor he became he was stripped of his clothes and crucified. all because Judas betrayed him. Look at the blackness of the night that is mentioned in John 13 verse 30. “He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night.” John 13:30 (KJV).

With the sop stilling his mouth, Judas went out to betray the Lord. His feet went out immediately we are told, went immediately out. because his feet were swift to shed blood. It was obvious it was night time because it was the supper in the night. What is telling us is this. that as dark as the night was, upon Judas' head there was a blacker and darker night in his soul and in his heart. Jesus had said in John 12.35, "Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness come upon you, for he that walks in darkness knows not where he goes. "John 12:35 (KJV). For Judas, he would never see another day again. Like Ahithophel, he would hang himself and his soul would go down to the blackness of darkness. Jude 1.13 tells us, “Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.” Jude 1:13 (KJV). That's why we are told it was night when Judas went out. To signify here was a man who was going to signify here was a man who was going to go out into the blackness of darkness forever. May the Lord bless his word. In our third part we will see how the Lord was in complete control of everything. Amen.