13:20
This verse must be referring back to verse 16 where Jesus has spoken of messengers, or ones who are sent (apostles). Throughout this gospel the emphasis has been upon Jesus being sent by the Father, on Jesus representing the Father and only doing what He sees the Father do, and saying what the Father does. Now this chain is being extended. The Father sent the Son, and now the Son sends the disciples, and sends us. We will see this throughout the teaching in the coming chapters. We are sent in the same way that the Son was sent. We do not go on our own authority, nor to achieve our own ends. We go in God’s authority to achieve His ends. So if, when we are acting as Christ’s messengers, as His apostles, we are accepted, it is Jesus they are accepting and in doing so they are accepting the Father.
13:21
This is the third time that we read Jesus was troubled in spirit. The first time was when Lazarus was dead (11:33,38), the second was at the prospect of going to the cross (12:27) and now here at the prospect of Judas betraying Him. I think this helps us to interpret the reading in 11:33,38. There I noted that a widely held view is that Jesus was disturbed at the lack of faith on the part of Martha and Mary. Yet the other two are Jesus being disturbed with very human emotions, so it would seem reasonable that in 11:33,38 is the real human emotions experienced at the death of a friend that caused His emotions. We need to equally appreciate the humanity and the divinity of Jesus.
Jesus declared to all the disciples that one would betray Him.
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