DAY 38 BUT WHY SHOULD I LOVE MY ENEMY?

John 13:21-30

According to the ESV Bible, verses 21 to 30 are subtitled ‘One of You Will Betray Me’.  The passage begins,  “²¹After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, "Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me." ²² The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. ²³ One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table close to Jesus, ²⁴so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. ²⁵ So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, "Lord, who is it?" Now up to here the narration is clear. And then John’s narration becomes strange (to us) - ²⁶Jesus answered, "It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it." So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 

Now that does not make sense -Jesus could have pointed to Judas and said – he is the man! He is the traitor! (Remember “A foe and enemy! This wicked Haman!” from Esther 7:6) Jesus does not do that. John writes, “when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.”

Coming to Maundy Thursday, some churches observe a Christian Seder on that day. During the Seder, the host of the meal makes a Hillel sandwich by breaking a piece of matzo and dipping it into a bowl of haroset* and he gives the first Hillel sandwich to anyone he chooses. To be given the first Hillel sandwich is the greatest honor a person could receive at a Seder.

In John’s narrative, Jesus gives the first morsel of food, the first sandwich to Judas.  That demonstrates that Jesus still cared for Judas despite what he was about to do.  

Dear brother and sister in Christ, if Jesus can love his betrayer Judas, be assured that He loves you too. And it’s because of Jesus’ grace, mercy and love you are blessed and invited to “the marriage supper of the Lamb.”(Revelation 19:9)

So tell everyone about Jesus’ love.  And love your enemy (Matthew 5:44) just as Jesus loved Judas to the end.

Dear Lord Jesus I am grateful that you loved me before I could love you and you chose me before I chose you. Help me love others just as you command. Amen!

·       * Haroset or charoset is a dish or paste made from apples, cinnamon, dates, and nuts and it is delicious! The matzo bread is dunked into a generous portion of haroset, and also into some horseradish and then eaten. Some people call it the ‘Hillel sandwich’ named after Rabbi Hillel.   For the householder during the Passover meal to dip a piece of bread in the haroset and give it to the first to the favored or special guest was a customary token of affection.