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In this lesson:
Lesson 198 continues. Thursday night, the Last Supper. A new commandment (13:34-35). Jesus predicts His betrayal (13:21-27) and Peter's denial (13:36-38). Study Tip: To better understand the Bible, meditate on each passage. |
The Last Supper.
By the Danish painter Carl Heinrich Bloch (1834-1890). |
The Gospel According to St. John
The King James Bible
The King James Bible
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John 13:21-38
"One of you shall betray me." 21 When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. 22 Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake. 23 Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. 24 Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake. 25 He then lying on Jesus' breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it? 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. 27 And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly. 28 Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him. 29 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. 30 He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night. 31 Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him. 32 If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him. 33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you. 34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. 36 Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards. 37 Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake. 38 Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice. |
Margin notes:
"When Jesus had thus said." (13:21) - Remember, as lesson 198 ended, Jesus was telling His disciples that anyone who welcomes His messenger welcomes Him, and to welcome Him is to welcome God (13:20). "I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me." (13:21) - Just as prophesied centuries earlier in Psalm 41:9. "The disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake." (13:22) - "The disciples looked at each other, unsure whom He was talking about." Judas had deceived all the disciples. No one suspected him. "Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved." (13:23) - "Leaning on Jesus' side was the disciple that Jesus loved." The disciple leaning on Jesus was John, the author of this Gospel. In Jesus' day, people reclined on the floor to eat. The meal was laid out before them on a low table or blanket (see picture above). "Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask." (13:24) - "Peter then signaled to him (John) that he should ask (Jesus). "Lord, who is it?" (13:25) - It was Judas, but it is also you and me. "He it is, to whom I shall give a sop." (13:26) - "He's the one I give this piece of bread to." "Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly." (13:27) - Jesus let Judas know that He was aware of the plot to betray Him. Although discovered, Judas still went through with it. "Judas had the bag." (13:29) - "Judas had the money bag." "Buy those things that we have need of against the feast." (13:29) - "Buy the things we need for the feast." "Went immediately out." (13:30) - Judas left the supper and walked two miles to Jerusalem and the high priests. "Shall straightway glorify him." (13:32) - "Will immediately glorify Him." "I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you." (13:33) - Jesus also said this in John 7:32-34 and 8:21. "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you." (13:34) - To love each other is an old commandment (Leviticus 19:18; 1 John 2:7; 3:11), but to love each other as Jesus loves, was new. See Today's Question below. "I will lay down my life for thy sake." (13:37) - Was this possible? Could anyone sacrifice their life for Jesus before He had sacrificed His life for us? "The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice." (13:38) - Jesus' prediction proved accurate (Matthew 26:69-75; Mark 14:66-72; Luke 22:54-62; John 18:25-27). |
You can read additional accounts of Jesus' predicting Peter's denial in Matthew 26:33-35 (lesson 55), Mark 14:29-31 (lesson 95) and Luke 22:33-34 (lesson 156).
New Living Translation
John 13:21-38
21 Now Jesus was deeply troubled, and he exclaimed, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me!"
22 The disciples looked at each other, wondering whom he could mean.
23 The disciple Jesus loved was sitting next to Jesus at the table.
24 Simon Peter motioned to him to ask, "Who's he talking about?"
25 So that disciple leaned over to Jesus and asked, "Lord, who is it?"
26 Jesus responded, "It is the one to whom I give the bread I dip in the bowl." And when he had dipped it, he gave it to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot.
27 When Judas had eaten the bread, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus told him, "Hurry and do what you're going to do."
28 None of the others at the table knew what Jesus meant.
29 Since Judas was their treasurer, some thought Jesus was telling him to go and pay for the food or to give some money to the poor.
30 So Judas left at once, going out into the night.
Jesus Predicts Peter's Denial
31 As soon as Judas left the room, Jesus said, "The time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory, and God will be glorified because of him.
32 And since God receives glory because of the Son, he will soon give glory to the Son.
33 Dear children, I will be with you only a little longer. And as I told the Jewish leaders, you will search for me, but you can't come where I am going.
34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.
35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples."
36 Simon Peter asked, "Lord, where are you going?"
And Jesus replied, "You can't go with me now, but you will follow me later."
37 "But why can't I come now, Lord?" he asked. "I'm ready to die for you."
38 Jesus answered, "Die for me? I tell you the truth, Peter-before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.
This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."
21 Now Jesus was deeply troubled, and he exclaimed, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me!"
22 The disciples looked at each other, wondering whom he could mean.
23 The disciple Jesus loved was sitting next to Jesus at the table.
24 Simon Peter motioned to him to ask, "Who's he talking about?"
25 So that disciple leaned over to Jesus and asked, "Lord, who is it?"
26 Jesus responded, "It is the one to whom I give the bread I dip in the bowl." And when he had dipped it, he gave it to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot.
27 When Judas had eaten the bread, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus told him, "Hurry and do what you're going to do."
28 None of the others at the table knew what Jesus meant.
29 Since Judas was their treasurer, some thought Jesus was telling him to go and pay for the food or to give some money to the poor.
30 So Judas left at once, going out into the night.
Jesus Predicts Peter's Denial
31 As soon as Judas left the room, Jesus said, "The time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory, and God will be glorified because of him.
32 And since God receives glory because of the Son, he will soon give glory to the Son.
33 Dear children, I will be with you only a little longer. And as I told the Jewish leaders, you will search for me, but you can't come where I am going.
34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.
35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples."
36 Simon Peter asked, "Lord, where are you going?"
And Jesus replied, "You can't go with me now, but you will follow me later."
37 "But why can't I come now, Lord?" he asked. "I'm ready to die for you."
38 Jesus answered, "Die for me? I tell you the truth, Peter-before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.
This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."
Key verses from this passage
"When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me." (13:21)
"Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you. A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." (13:33-35)
"Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake. Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice." (13:37-38)
"Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you. A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." (13:33-35)
"Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake. Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice." (13:37-38)
Today's Question:
1. How can we love others as Jesus loves us? (13:34)
Every Saint Has a Past; Every Sinner Has a Future.
1. How can we love others as Jesus loves us? (13:34)
Every Saint Has a Past; Every Sinner Has a Future.
Answer: (Do you agree?)
1. We can love others as Jesus loves us by placing them above ourselves. Just as Jesus dedicated Himself to us, we must dedicate ourselves to others. And like Jesus, we must do it without complaint or expectation of reward. We must place our egos and needs firmly in second place to the needs of those around us. Just as Jesus sacrificed Himself on the cross, we must sacrifice for others. Just as Jesus forgave Judas for betraying Him, Peter for denying Him, and those who crucified Him, we must forgive those who have wronged us. By showing love to others, we are a good role model and positive example to non-believers (13:35).
Application thought for the day:
It's easy to make promises to God but sometimes it's difficult to keep them.
Do you see any of Peter's characteristics (13:37-38) in yourself?
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Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress Books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
© 2026 evolke
© 2026 evolke