SERMON: “God’s Glory & the Present Church” (John 13:31–38)
“God’s Glory and the Present Church”
(John 13:31–38)
Series: “John:
Life in Christ’s Name” Text:
John
13:31–38
By: Shaun
Marksbury Date:
March
31, 2024
Venue: Living
Water Baptist Church Occasion:
AM Service
I.
Introduction
Of
course, that new life means that we must apply the gracious gifts of our Lord
to our circumstances. As such, it’s
fitting that we come to this text today.
As we are continuing our trek through the Book of John, the Lord worked
it out in His providence that we would be in this text, and that you would be
here to hear it. We should seek to
understand how new life in Christ changes our outlook on the day.
Just
as the sun rises with a stunning glory, the work of Jesus Christ is filled with
the glory of God the Father, as we see in our text this morning. Hearing and believing Jesus’s words calls us
to embrace this glory in our lives, and we’re going to see three ways to do
just that. First, we’ll see we can embrace
God’s glory by trusting in the finished work of Christ. Second, we’ll see we can embrace God’s glory
by loving the church of Christ. Third,
we’ll see we can embrace God’s glory by trusting in the timing of Christ. Let’s consider the first of these.
II.
First, Embrace God’s Glory by Believing in the Finished
Work of Christ (vv. 31–32)
Therefore when he had gone out, Jesus said,
“Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him; if God is
glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him
immediately.
This
is a confusing time for the disciples.
They believe Jesus is the Christ, the promised Messiah or anointed one. Yet, they still associate the glorification of
Christ with the establishment of the earthly kingdom. They aren’t entirely wrong about that; Christ
will return one day to establish His Millennial Reign, as Revelation 20 and other
places note. However, they can’t miss
the vital step before that.
Remember
that Jesus just sent Judas away, as we considered last week. Judas, remember, had in mind to betray Jesus
(v. 2) and became possessed by the devil for this purpose (v. 27). This betrayal will set the final events in
motion for Jesus’s arrest, trials, and execution at the cross.
Yet,
the work of Christ doesn’t end at the cross.
That’s what we remember at Easter: the Lord is risen from the grave! Moreover, Jesus will then ascend back to the
right hand of the Father, taking up again His glory. In John 17:4–5, Jesus prays, “I glorified You
on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. Now, Father, glorify Me together with
Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” Scripture records that after the Lord bore
the shame of the cross, He “sat down at the right hand of the throne of God”
(Heb. 12:2). This is what Jesus focused upon
before the cross.
In
fact, Jesus describes this as already having happened. He says, “Now is the Son of Man glorified,
and God is glorified in Him.” Now that He
allowed Judas to go, the wheel is set into motion. Jesus can speak of the work as though it were
done.
The
concept of glory is important here, which is why Jesus uses the verb five times. The cross was going to be a curse (Gal.
3:13), but it would ultimately prove to be a path of glory. Its work makes salvation available, atoning
for our sins, the reason Jesus came. As
one commentator notes, Christ’s death displayed God’s power, justice, holiness,
faithfulness, and love.[1] This
is true glory, and Jesus isn’t afraid to claim that His life has glorified God.
He
knew the connection between Him and the glory of God from the beginning. All the way back in John 1:51, He said, “Truly,
truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God
ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
Now, He sees His status as the Son of Man as full of the glory of
God. We would do well to see it as the same.
Jesus
says the Father will glorify the Son.
This points not only to the cross but also to the resurrection. It would happen “immediately,” which Jesus
said elsewhere would be three days. The
Father proves that He glorifies the Son by raising Him from the grave and exalting
Him above every name that is to be named in heaven or on earth.
This
is the message that the disciples needed to hear. They will be shocked in a few hours to see Jesus
arrested. They will scatter and hear of
His condemnation and crucifixion.
However, all of it is according to Scripture, and they should see it as
the means of glory. We have the benefit
of knowing the whole story today, but many people don’t see the cross and
resurrection as a means of God’s glory in their own lives. I hope you see the weight and worth of the
work of Christ on your behalf!
All
disciples of Christ must see this, especially since Christ is about to be
physically absent. That will provide the
greatest heartache. Because of their
loss of Christ, they will need each other for encouragement, as we see in the next
verses.
III.
Second, Embrace God’s Glory by Loving the Church
of Christ (vv. 33–35)
“Little children, I am with you a little
while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, now I also say to
you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ A new commandment I give to you, that you love
one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My
disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Some
call this whole section Jesus’s farewell discourse, running all the way through
the end of chapter sixteen.[2] That’s
a good way of looking at the words we’re reading. They aren’t going to be together much longer,
so Jesus gives them His final teaching.
Whatever we call this section, it’s clear that the time is short.
Jesus
begins by addressing them as “little children.”
It’s not an insult, but a term of endearment. It was a “common way for a teacher to address
disciples.”[3] The
Apostle John will use it often in 1 John (2:1, 12, 28; 3:7, 18; 4:4; 5:21),
following Jesus’s lead. One commentator
notes, “ ‘My dear children’ would not be an over-translation.”[4] Jesus
here speaks to His disciples with the care parents have for children.
Jesus
warns them with familiar words — He will only be with them a bit longer. He said something similar to the Jewish
leaders in John 7:34; 8:21. Here, He
repeats that they will seek Him and not find Him, and that they aren’t able to
follow Him.
These
words prepare them for His temporary absence.
In the next chapter, He’ll tell them that He’s preparing a place for
them and will return again for them (14:2–3).
They will soon be missing His presence between His crucifixion and resurrection,
and they will do so again after His ascension into heaven.
So,
this is preparation for the in-between time, the time where He won’t be
physically with them. We read back in
13:1, that Jesus, “having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to
the end.” He will promise them a Comforter
or Helper in the next chapter so they will not be left alone (14:16–18). Yet, in the Spirit, they must still fill a
void for each other.
So,
in v. 34, Jesus says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one
another.” This is addressed to the
group: “Y’all love one another.” He will
repeat this command in John 15:12, 17, meaning that this is an important theme
for Jesus’s farewell address. They need
to love one another.
This
isn’t that different from today, for we are also without the physical presence
of Christ. We do have the ongoing,
indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, but the Lord has seen fit to use this
presence in us to love one another. Our
presence in each other’s lives helps us to endure until the return of our Lord.
Yet,
Jesus called this command “new,” and it is in several ways. First, Jesus models it not on our own
self-love but instead on His own love; not loving another “as yourself” but “even
as I have loved you.”[5]
Second, and related to that, He expects each believer to find the gospel
as his motivation, for Christ sacrificed, leaving believers transformed and
renewed. Third, His commandment is for “one
another,” narrowing the focus from all neighbors to have a special focus
to especially “those who are of the household of the faith” (Gal. 6:10) — they
can serve each other in various ways, like how Jesus just washed their feet (John
13:4–20). Fourth, He expects we will
find our ability to obey Him in the power of the Holy Spirit rather than the
flesh (cf. Jer. 31:29–34; Ezek. 36:24–26; Gal. 5:22) — a new reality which Old
Testament saints lacked.[6] It
would be this new “love and support for one another [which would] enable them
to survive in a hostile world.”[7]
Of
course, the Apostle John picks up with this as he shepherds believers. In 1 John 2:7–8, he writes, “Beloved, I am
not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had
from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard. On the other hand, I am writing a new
commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is
passing away and the true Light is already shining.” In 3:11, he says, “For this is the message
which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.” In v. 23 of that chapter, he says, “This is
His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love
one another, just as He commanded us.”
In 2 John 5, he writes, “Now I ask you, lady, not as though I were writing to you a new commandment,
but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another.” It’s easy to see why John became known as the
“apostle of love,” but it started here with Jesus’s command.
Jesus
goes on to say that this isn’t just beneficial for the saints: their love for
one another will have an evangelistic purpose.
In v. 38, He says, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples,
if you have love for one another.” John
later says that Christian love for the brethren serves to prove we have passed
out of death into life (1 John 3:14) — meaning that some of you may lack a feeling
of assurance because you are not practicing this command. Those who do, though, testify of the fact
that God transforms hearts.
For
instance, we can do so by asking forgiveness (Matt. 5:23–24) and by offering forgiveness
(cf. Col. 3:13). This testifies of a
grace this world doesn’t have. In this day
of cancel culture, people demonstrate that they are unforgiving of the smallest
infractions, and many people who genuinely offend refuse to admit wrong. Christians show the world another way. We reflect the kind of divine love that only
the Lord can give.
Of
course, Peter seems to understand that Jesus is giving this command in lieu of
his absence. So, v. 33 rings louder in
Peter’s ears than this command. As such,
he has a couple of questions in the next verses.
IV.
Third, Embrace God’s Glory by Trusting in the Timing
of Christ (vv. 36–38)
Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are
You going?” Jesus answered, “Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you will
follow later.” Peter said to Him, “Lord,
why can I not follow You right now? I will lay down my life for You.” Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life
for Me? Truly, truly, I say to you, a rooster will not crow until you deny Me
three times.”
Peter’s
questions are somewhat understandable. He
loved Jesus and understood Jesus’s love for him. He doesn’t want to experience separation from
our Lord. Of course, his questions also
indicate that he did not understand yet that Jesus was going to lay down His
life for the disciples.
Jesus’s
statement had troubled the Jewish leaders, too.
They wondered if He was going to the dispersed Jews and teach the Greeks
(7:51). At another point, these leaders wondered
in passing whether Jesus might be talking about suicide (8:22). They couldn’t make heads or tales of what
Jesus was saying.
The
same seems to be true of Peter (and the rest of the disciples), as they
continued to wonder what He meant after Peter asked this question (16:17). While we might think our Lord would become
angry at their inability or unwillingness to understand, our Lord sees the expression
of Peter’s love toward Him underlying his desire to follow Him. The same Jesus who sees Peter as one of His
dear children in the faith now patiently explains the situation to this
headstrong but well-meaning disciple.
Yet,
Peter asks why. Obviously, Peter is
concerned, but his language does betray a bit of impatience.[8] In fact, he goes on to say he’s with the
Lord, even if it costs him his life, and all four Gospels record something
similar (Matt 26:33–35; Mark 14:29–31; Luke 22:33–34). So insistent was he that
the other disciples joined him (Mark 14:31).
Sometimes we are too hard on ourselves, but many times, we grossly
overestimate our abilities.
This
is what Jesus then explains to Peter. He
turns Peter’s words around to ask if they were true,[9] perhaps with a smile.[10] He
then gives him a shocking revelation: that he will deny Him that very night,
before the rooster crows, before 3:00am.[11] Perhaps this revelation is so stunning that
Peter remains unnoticed until 18:10.[12]
What
is the issue here? As one study notes,
Peter
was ready to die for Jesus. Unfortunately,
he was not ready, at this point, to live for Him. He was ready to attack single-handed a cohort
of soldiers with his sword (see 18:10), but he was not willing to wash the feet
of his brothers as Jesus had just done (see 13:4). Actually, Peter had things backwards. Christ was about to lay down His life for
Peter, instead of Peter laying down his life for Christ. In spite of all this, Christ did not give up
on Peter (see Luke 22:31, 32). Later
Peter would die for Christ (21:18, 19).[13]
Peter
was unwilling to allow the Lord to have his perfect timing and way in his life,
deciding he knew better. This is the
error that many of us commit, trying to get ahead of the Lord’s timing in our
lives. We need to hear, just as Peter
did, that the Lord has given us what we need for this moment. Thus, we must seek the Lord’s glory by
embracing the timing that he has foreordained.
That
brings us to some final thoughts.
V.
Conclusion
As we consider the death and then resurrection of our Lord,
we consider the greatest miracles of all time. This miracle is one which secures our
salvation, the salvation of all who believe. God is most glorified when we see his plan of
redemption and embrace it for ourselves.
But it doesn’t stop there. The gospel transforms us, just as God
intended. Through the Holy Spirit,
believers can now live and love differently. We demonstrate the change that God has wrought
within us, the love that He has poured out upon us, by showing love toward one
another. That is why it’s so important
to be in the fellowship of the saints regularly — we are vessels through which
God shows His tender mercies toward is children. I hope you see that this is something we must
all embrace, for the glory of God!
Like Peter and the disciples, we get caught up in what we
expect the Lord to do, or in what we feel is important in our own lives. We start to feel dissatisfied with where our
finances are, where our relationships are, or what our future may hold. Yet, the Lord has worked out all of these
things, and He doesn’t want us to be troubled by what tomorrow may bring. Let’s embrace the timing that the Lord has
established.
As we go through this, it’s possible you aren’t sure as to
whether all of this is true for you. Perhaps
you’re a Christian who has been outside of the fellowship for a while, not
showing love toward other Christians or feeling that love in return, prompting doubts
about your salvation. Perhaps you’ve never
known the love of God, and that’s why you don’t love as he has called you to
love. Either way, if you turn to the
Lord, He’s gracious and will forgive your sins, assuring you of a salvation
which will never be taken away!
[1] John F. MacArthur Jr., John 12–21, MacArthur New Testament Commentary, (Chicago, IL: Moody
Publishers, 2008), 87–88.
[2] D. A. Carson, The
Gospel according to John, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, (Leicester,
England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans, 1991), 476–477.
[3] John D. Barry, Douglas Mangum, Derek R. Brown, Michael
S. Heiser, Miles Custis, Elliot Ritzema, Matthew M. Whitehead, Michael R.
Grigoni, and David Bomar, Faithlife Study
Bible, (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), Jn 13:33.
[4] Carson, 483.
[5] Earl D. Radmacher, Ronald Barclay Allen, and H. Wayne
House, The Nelson Study Bible: New King
James Version, (Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers, 1997), Jn 13:34.
[6] John MacArthur Jr., Ed., The MacArthur Study Bible, electronic ed., (Nashville, TN: Word
Pub., 1997), 1612.
[7] Edwin A. Blum, The
Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, 1985, 2,
321–322.
[8] A. T. Robertson, Word
Pictures in the New Testament, (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933), Jn
13:37.
[9] Ibid., Jn 13:38.
[10] Matthew Henry, Matthew
Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume,
(Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994), 2011.
[11] Carson, 487.
[12] Radmacher, et. al, Jn 13:38.
[13] Ibid., Jn 13:37.
