After he had said these things, Jesus became visibly upset, and then he told them why. “One of you is going to betray me.” The disciples looked around at one another, wondering who on earth he was talking about. One of the disciples, the one Jesus loved dearly, was reclining against him, his head on his shoulder. Peter motioned to him to ask who Jesus might be talking about. So being the closest, he said, “Master, who?” Jesus said, “The one to whom I give this crust of bread after I have dipped it.” Then he dipped the crust and gave it to Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot. As soon as the bread was in his hand, Satan entered him. “What you must do,” said Jesus, “do”. “Do it and get it over with.” John 13:21-27 The Message
Formal dinner parties have almost become a thing of the past in this world of today. Casual is the new style, and with that comes the abandonment of certain rules of etiquette and formality. Randy and I both come from large extended families, and I can remember family dinner get togethers being a bit of organized chaos, except that my grand mama and grand daddy always sat at either ends of the table assuming the positions of host and hostess.
Normally, their oldest child sat to the right of my Grandfather, the next oldest to the right of my grandmother, then the next oldest to left of my Grandfather and the next to the left of my Grandmother. These spots were considered the seats of honor. Spouses could sit next to their husband or wife, but it was not assigned seating! The other fifteen of us just found the nearest table.
It’s interesting that Jesus invited the disciples to the Upper Room on the night of the Last Supper, and He had seats of honor chosen for some. The Bible says that John was seated to his right which was the highest seat of honor. Many scholars speculate that Judas was seated to His left which was the next highest seat of honor. It is thought that Peter was seated away from Jesus since he was not close enough to John to ask him who Jesus was accusing but rather had to motion to him. He was close enough however, that he and John could communicate without the other disciple’s knowledge.
It is obvious that with the exception of Judas, none of the disciples had come to the meal with any idea that a betrayer was seated among them, and they certainly wouldn’t expect him to be in a seat of honor. The Bible says that the disciples were bickering among themselves about who deserved seats of honor around Jesus. Imagine their shock as the evening played out.
It would be interesting to know what the conversation was like around that table after Judas left and went to the sell Jesus out for thirty pieces of silver. It’s been said that there are people who are invited to parties but sometimes the people there make them feel unwelcome. Thus the phrase, Invited but not welcome. I wonder if Judas felt unwelcome after the revelation or if he was so possessed by Satan that he felt no remorse until after the deed was done.
Jesus was not going to let the betrayer leave any feelings of animosity among the disciples, so he gathered the disciples together to give them a new commandment. He said, Love one another. In the same way I have loved you, love one another. This is how everyone will recognize you as my disciples – when they see the love you have for each other. (John 13:34-35) In doing so, He demonstrated His servanthood and humility and commissioned the disciples to remember their mission.
He does the same for us when we feel betrayed whether by people, society, government, or life. He gives us things we can do to deal with betrayal in our own life.
First, He tells us to pray for those who “despitefully use you” because one day God will right ever wrong. Jesus also encourages us to stay focused on Him and let His peace fill us. We must be patient, make up our minds not to be like them, and let the Lord lead. Lastly, we must follow the new commandment and love one another.
Let’s not forget this about Judas, he was loved by Jesus just as the other disciples. He betrayed Jesus, and yet with all the complexities and contradictions of his life, he had a seat at the table with Jesus. So do we. It is said that a Christian can only be in two places. Either we are present in our body on earth, or we are present with the Lord in heaven with a seat of honor reserved just for us!
Wonderful message!