03.5. In The Upper Room
In The Upper Room
John 13:23 Reclining close beside Jesus
John 13:1-38 brings us to the upper room, where the Lord washed the feet of His disciples and celebrated the Passover with them. Here we see Peter’s impulsive and impetuous behaviour - as well as the utterly sad betrayal of Judas - contrasted with the worthiness and peace of John’s leaning "on Jesus’ bosom" (John 13:23). The expression "on Jesus’ bosom", or "on Jesus’ breast" (John 13:25), indicates that John took a place of honour at the Lord’s right side. He reclined close beside Jesus, in the immediate presence of the Lord, in the place of trust and intimacy. John 13:23 reminds us of John 1:18, where we find the same phrase in the Greek text and in many translations. Christ was in the bosom of the Father, nearest to the Father’s heart (NEB). He was the eternal Son, and being in the bosom of the Father, He was able to declare Him.Now just as the Son Himself is the object of the Father’s love, the disciple is the object of the Lord’s love (cf. John 17:26). We too can enjoy a place with Him, very close to His heart, just like John.
It will change our lives, for the awareness of the love of the Lord gives us both peace and understanding. Thus John could remain calm amidst the turmoil caused by the Lord’s remark that one of His disciples was going to betray Him. Besides, John was in a better position than Peter to ask the Lord of whom He spoke, and to gain insight into this difficult situation. He had direct contact with the Lord.John 13:1-38, by the way, is a chapter of big contrasts. The love of Christ caused Him to take the place of a Servant among His disciples, thus correcting their selfishness and self-love. The light of Christ revealed Judas’ heart full of darkness, and he went out immediately into the night (John 13:30). In Peter we see the impetuosity and, later, the weakness of the flesh. In Judas we see its utter corruption. Peter did not understand the Lord, and was unable to follow Him in the strength of the flesh on the pathway of suffering and death. But later on he repented and wept bitterly. Judas could not be brought to repentance and became a pawn in the hands of Satan. In the midst of this disarray, just before His suffering, we see how Jesus quietly reclined at table to eat and speak with His disciples. John, the beloved disciple, shared this peace, and felt happy in the Lord’s presence. Although the sufferings of the Son of Man were casting their shadows, nothing could disturb John’s peaceful fellowship with the Lord.The place occupied by John in the presence of the Lord Jesus is an illustration of our own position as united with Christ in heaven (cf. John 14:20). In the midst of a hostile world that has rejected the Master, we still have a place in His presence - separated from the world and lifted up above the turmoil of our circumstances. There we are with Him "in the upper room", enjoying happy fellowship with Him as He gives us peace of heart and mind and insight into His own thoughts. In the same way as John enjoyed peace and received insight into the Lord’s thoughts, we can possess true peace and knowledge of God’s will. As beloved diciples, we know that we have a better portion than can be found in this world - a part with Christ in heaven after His departure from this world to the Father (John 13:1; John 13:8). For in Christ we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3). May we enjoy undisturbed fellowship with our Master in heaven:
O Lord and Saviour, we reclineOn that eternal love of Thine.Thou art our rest, and Thou aloneRemainest when all else is gone. The need for cleansing The chapter begins, however, with the scene where Jesus washed the disciples’ feet. This was a prerequisite for having part with the Lord, as He told Peter in no uncertain terms: "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me" (John 13:8). This washing is an illustration of the cleansing with the water of the Word of God (cf. Ephesians 5:26). It is necessary to be cleansed of that which defiles us in this world - which is a wilderness wide to the believer - if indeed we wish to have fellowship with the Lord and to know ourselves united with Him in the place that He now occupies with the Father. In addition to the one-time, complete washing that we receive in the new birth (John 3:3; John 3:5; John 13:10; John 15:3; Titus 3:5), we find three examples in Scripture of continual, repeated cleansing:
(1) The washing of our feet as we have it here in John 13:1-38. This is a daily duty and it is necessary in order to have part with the Lord in heaven, to recline as His disciples at the table that He has prepared for us.
(2) In order to stand as priests in the sanctuary, we must wash our hands and feet at the laver in the court, like the sons of Aaron (Exodus 30:17-21). This means that, before entering into God’s presence with our sacrifices of praise, we need to submit all our doings and dealings to the cleansing power of the water of the Word of God.
(3) In order to properly walk as believers on our way to the Promised Land, our heavenly home, we need the application of "the water of purification", just as the Israelites needed this in the wilderness in order to be separated from evil and uncleanness (Numbers 19:1-22).So let us be convinced of the necessity of being cleansed by the water of the Word, and willingly submit ourselves to it. It is a real must, for as the Lord said to Peter: "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me" (John 13:8).