Blog

By Bill Lawrence, 

President of  Leader Formation International

. . . and it was night.

John 13:30

Have you ever thought of how much Jesus loved Judas Iscariot, His apparent disciple, the treasurer of the twelve, the betrayer who sold Him to the Jerusalem persecutors?

Think of how John remembered that night sixty years later. He wanted the world as he knew it to grasp how amazing the love of Jesus is. He loves even those who reject Him. I cannot help but reach out to any who read this who have not yet received our Lord as the One who died on Calvary for you. His death is your death; His life is your life; His offer of salvation is your opportunity to receive salvation.

Read on and know that there is Light, special, unique, spiritual Light. Don’t stumble in the darkness. Turn to the Light and find the Life that is yours while you still can.

I am now going back to a man named John who was one of twelve men who were in the Upper Room, in a house in Jerusalem, gathered together for the Passover supper with Jesus 2,000 years ago. Jesus was their leader, and they had been together for nearly three years traveling in northern Israel, then south to Jerusalem, then back up to Galilee. When they gathered together for this Passover meal Jesus took off His outer garment, wrapped a towel around himself, and washed their feet, which was very uncommon for a host to do. 

One of the twelve was named Judas Iscariot, who was about to become the betrayer, the one who had been with them for virtually three years, and who appeared to be so committed to them that he was totally trusted by all to keep their money as their treasurer. He was one of them, one who took care of the funds that impacted every one of them. Jesus was about to die on Calvary for all of them. Including Judas Iscariot, the treasurer-traitor.

He heard Peter ask a question all of them had, but only Simon the fisherman asked. He heard Jesus say they were clean, but He had to know Judas wasn’t clean. How could he, who was about to sell the Carpenter and their Leader to the Roman authorities, possibly be clean? Still Jesus died for him. And John made that point for all who read his word, a point that he will make clearer in just  a few words.

He first states the vital truth that Jesus declared Himself to be the amazing I AM, the YAHWEH of the Old Testament who became the flesh of time and eternity, who is available for all who want Him.

Having made that point Jesus continues revealing Himself.

He is troubled in spirit, deep in Himself, and He expresses the intensity of His inner self by declaring, Truly, truly (absolutely it is true, it is true), I say to you (I TELL you absolutely), one of you will betray Me.

From the very core of His being He tells them—and us—that one of them will betray Me.

None of them could figure this out. They would never do this. They just can’t believe that any one of them would ever betray Him. He was their Leader, the One who was going to make them powerful over Rome and give them the Empire. It doesn’t make sense. So even though he is not identified by name John is called on out of his unique relationship with Jesus to ask Him who could that possibly be? And Jesus identifies him, but they still don’t grasp who it was.

Thus he tells us at this point in his writing what he did not grasp in the darkest moment of one of the most brilliant Light in the Upper Room. 

At this point I call on all who pray for those who live in darkness that they will turn to the Light. There are many who profess to belong to the Light but who only offer darkness, and those who have known them have been impacted by them and hear about the Light but only see the darkness. As a result they have rejected the Light and do not respond to the Light at all. This is tragic for them, and the evil one is having his way, which is a tragedy for all involved. The only solution to this is a life of gentleness, kindness, gracious words, and much prayer. Let prayer shine the Light through your lives and look for the opportunity to shine the Light through unstated actions rather than useless lectures, speeches, and sermons. Don’t drive the unreachable away. Be gracious, kind, and supportive, and pray your way forward. Lectures will only drive you further away until you are unwelcome at every turn. Though the evil one often masks the Light he cannot turn Him away if we radically and desperately—and gently—bear the fruit of John 15 that is the mark of His love, and our lives will make a difference in ways we don’t realize. All of this is seen in the amazing love of Calvary and the Light of resurrection.

Jesus loves me. Jesus loves you. Jesus loves even the most sinful you ever know. How do you know? For the Bible tells you so. We are weak, but He IS strong, and He will exercise His strength through us to strive to reach even Judas Iscariot. Jesus did all He could do to reach Judas before He sent him on his way to do the evil he was committed to do. Even he could not live with it and in the end and he ended his life with shame and self-imposed death.

So I say to all who have turned from the Light, Come back. Come back.

Let there be Light

The Light shines in the darkness—let the Light shine to you and then let the Light shine through you