COME AND DINE 1
A Seat Near Jesus
Come and Dine – Part 1
Text: John 13:21–30
As we enter the Thanksgiving and Christmas season, many of our greatest memories will be made around the table. Birth announcements, family reunions, soldiers returning home, holiday traditions, and even those difficult moments when someone is missing from the table. There is something special about gathering around a meal with family and friends.
Throughout Scripture, we find many significant moments that took place around a table. Over the next few weeks, I want us to look at several of those moments in a series I'm calling “Come and Dine.”
Today, I want to begin with a sobering scene from the Last Supper. Jesus knew His hour had come. After three years of ministry, healing the sick, opening blinded eyes, challenging the religious leaders, and teaching His disciples, He was preparing to go to the cross.
What did Jesus do with His disciples on that final night? He gathered them around the table.
Twelve men sat near Jesus that night. They listened, watched, and took in everything happening around them. But there was one man who sat near Jesus without truly belonging to Him.
His name was Judas Iscariot.
What a sobering thought: Twelve men sat near Jesus, but one was not a part of the kingdom.
Let's consider the life of Judas and what this moment around the table teaches us.
1. He Had the Same Privilege as the Others
Judas was not an outsider. He was one of the original twelve disciples.
He was not a nobody. He was in the inner circle.
Yet, despite all those privileges, Judas never truly surrendered his heart to Christ.
There is a great lesson here: Being around the things of God is not the same as belonging to God.
You can grow up in church, attend every service, know the songs, hear the preaching, and be involved in ministry without ever having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Judas had a seat near Jesus, but he never gave Jesus his heart.
2. He Was Served by Jesus Christ
Before the meal, Jesus took a towel, wrapped it around Himself, and began washing the disciples' feet.
This was an act of humility and service. The Lord of glory took the position of a servant.
Peter initially resisted, but Jesus explained the importance of what He was doing.
However, there is something especially significant about this moment. Jesus did not just wash the feet of Peter, John, and the other disciples.
Jesus also washed the feet of Judas.
The very man who would betray Him in a matter of minutes received the same loving act of service.
Then, in John 13:26, Jesus took the bread, dipped it, and gave it to Judas.
This was commonly understood as a gesture of friendship and honor. Jesus extended an act of kindness toward the very man who was preparing to betray Him.
Isn't that just like Jesus?
He washed the feet of the man who would betray Him. He extended kindness to the man who would turn against Him.
Judas was served by Jesus even when Jesus knew what Judas was about to do.
What a picture of the patience, mercy, and love of our Savior!
3. He Was Warned by Jesus
In John 13:21, Jesus became troubled in His spirit and told the disciples that one of them would betray Him.
Jesus knew exactly what was going to happen. Nothing about Judas' betrayal took Him by surprise.
In Matthew 26:24, Jesus gave this sobering warning:
“Woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.”
Imagine the tension around that table.
The disciples began questioning whether they were the ones who would betray Him. Jesus was making it clear that what was about to happen was serious.
I believe Jesus was giving Judas every opportunity to recognize his sin and turn from it.
Think about that. Judas was sitting in the presence of Jesus. He had heard the warning. He had witnessed the love of Christ firsthand.
Yet he refused to change his heart.
Jesus was warning him, but Judas would not listen.
Every time the Word of God is preached, we are given an opportunity to examine our hearts. God's Word warns us about sin, calls us to repentance, and points us toward a right relationship with Him.
We should never take those warnings lightly.
4. He Walked Away from the Table
John 13:30 says:
“He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night.”
Judas got up and walked away.
He left Jesus. He left the other eleven disciples. He left the fellowship of the men he had traveled with, served with, and ministered alongside.
The Bible makes a point of telling us that it was night.
Certainly, it was telling us the time of day, but what a picture of the darkness that had settled over Judas' heart.
He was walking away from the Light of the world.
Think about the significance of that moment. He had been given the same privilege as the others. He had been served by Jesus. He had been warned by Jesus.
But he still walked away.
How many people have done the same thing?
They have heard the preaching. They have experienced the goodness of God. They have been given opportunity after opportunity to make things right, but they continue walking away.
Why walk away from the One who loves you?
5. He Was Sorry, But He Did Not Truly Repent
After betraying Jesus, Judas experienced tremendous regret.
Matthew 27:3–4 tells us:
“Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.”
Judas was sorry about what he had done. He felt remorse. He even tried to return the thirty pieces of silver.
But his sorrow never brought him back to Jesus.
There is a difference between being sorry about the consequences of sin and being repentant over the sin itself.
Judas regretted what he had done, but he never returned to the Lord.
This is an important distinction. Remorse recognizes the pain of sin, but repentance turns away from sin and back toward God.
Judas thought he could somehow undo what he had done by returning the money. But the problem was much deeper than thirty pieces of silver. His heart needed to be made right with God.
And that brings us to a very important contrast.
6. He Could Have Returned, But He Chose Not To
There were twelve men around that table, and all of them had their failures.
Judas betrayed Jesus, but Peter denied Him.
Jesus had already told Peter that he would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed.
In fact, when Jesus was arrested, the other disciples also forsook Him.
Matthew 26:56 says:
“But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.”
Judas was not the only disciple who failed Jesus.
Peter denied Him. He even cursed and declared that he did not know the man.
But there was a difference in what happened afterward.
Matthew 26:75 says:
“And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.”
Peter was broken over his failure.
But unlike Judas, Peter did not remain in that broken condition. After the resurrection, Jesus specifically included Peter in the message to the disciples.
Mark 16:7 says:
“But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.”
Restoration was possible!
Peter had failed, but he could come back.
Judas walked away and never returned. Peter wept, repented, and was restored.
Here is what I want you to understand today:
You have not gone too far that you cannot come back to Jesus.
Don't just cry because you got caught in sin. Be broken because of your sin and desire to restore your relationship with Christ.
Real repentance is more than saying, “I wish I hadn't done that.”
Real repentance says, “Lord, I am sorry for what I have done, and with Your help, I want to turn away from it.”
The table of Jesus is still a place of grace, repentance, and restoration.
The Table Is Still Set
I want to bring this message back to where we started.
Twelve men sat around that table that night. Eleven believed, but one betrayed.
Every week, we gather in this church, and in a sense, we set the table.
Our musicians and sound team work hard to prepare an atmosphere that helps us worship the Lord. I try every week to set the table with the Word of God.
Because nothing I say really matters compared to what God's Word can accomplish.
Hebrews 4:12 says:
“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Every person who walks through these doors has the same opportunity to hear the truth and respond to Jesus Christ.
You may not have grown up in church. You may have a difficult past. You may feel like you don't belong or that you don't have anything to offer.
But don't count yourself out!
Jesus extended kindness to Judas. He offered him the same opportunity as the others. He warned him and gave him every opportunity to respond.
And He is still calling people today.
Every week, we hear the Word of God. Every week, we are reminded of our need for Christ. Every week, we have an opportunity to get things right.
But some people walk away.
They know something is wrong. They feel the conviction. They may even regret the way they are living.
But when the invitation comes, they refuse to respond.
They say, “I want to change, but I like my way. I just don't like the results.”
Friend, Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. You cannot find peace by continuing to walk away from Him.
I am reminded of something that happened when I married into Sandy's family.
Over the years, I have watched those sisters fuss, disagree, and tell each other exactly what they thought. Granddaddy Bill would often just sit there and giggle.
Families are families. Sometimes there are disagreements, bitterness, and hurt feelings.
But when Easter came, the food went on the table, and there was unity. When Thanksgiving came, there was unity. When Christmas came, there was unity.
There was something special about coming back together around the table.
And I want you to know something today.
Your life may be in disarray. You may have bitterness, struggles, heartache, hidden sin, or rebellion.
But the table is still set!
You can come to Jesus today. You can find forgiveness. You can experience restoration. You can leave this place at peace with God.
There is nothing greater than being at peace with God.
Judas walked away and never returned. Peter failed miserably, but he found his way back to the Lord.
The difference was not that one man had failed and the other had not. Both had failed.
The difference was what they did with their failure.
Today, the table is set for you.
It is a table of grace.
It is a table of repentance.
It is a table of restoration.
Don't walk away from the table today.
If you have never trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior, come to Him today. If there is something in your life that needs to be made right, come and ask Him to forgive you.
The same Jesus who extended love and mercy at that table is still offering grace today.
Come and dine!
Come and Dine – Part 1
Text: John 13:21–30
As we enter the Thanksgiving and Christmas season, many of our greatest memories will be made around the table. Birth announcements, family reunions, soldiers returning home, holiday traditions, and even those difficult moments when someone is missing from the table. There is something special about gathering around a meal with family and friends.
Throughout Scripture, we find many significant moments that took place around a table. Over the next few weeks, I want us to look at several of those moments in a series I'm calling “Come and Dine.”
Today, I want to begin with a sobering scene from the Last Supper. Jesus knew His hour had come. After three years of ministry, healing the sick, opening blinded eyes, challenging the religious leaders, and teaching His disciples, He was preparing to go to the cross.
What did Jesus do with His disciples on that final night? He gathered them around the table.
Twelve men sat near Jesus that night. They listened, watched, and took in everything happening around them. But there was one man who sat near Jesus without truly belonging to Him.
His name was Judas Iscariot.
What a sobering thought: Twelve men sat near Jesus, but one was not a part of the kingdom.
Let's consider the life of Judas and what this moment around the table teaches us.
1. He Had the Same Privilege as the Others
Judas was not an outsider. He was one of the original twelve disciples.
- He was listed among the twelve in Luke 6.
- He was chosen by Jesus (John 6).
- He was empowered to heal the sick, cleanse lepers, and cast out devils (Matthew 10).
- He was entrusted with the money for Jesus' earthly ministry (John 12:6; John 13:29).
He was not a nobody. He was in the inner circle.
Yet, despite all those privileges, Judas never truly surrendered his heart to Christ.
There is a great lesson here: Being around the things of God is not the same as belonging to God.
You can grow up in church, attend every service, know the songs, hear the preaching, and be involved in ministry without ever having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Judas had a seat near Jesus, but he never gave Jesus his heart.
2. He Was Served by Jesus Christ
Before the meal, Jesus took a towel, wrapped it around Himself, and began washing the disciples' feet.
This was an act of humility and service. The Lord of glory took the position of a servant.
Peter initially resisted, but Jesus explained the importance of what He was doing.
However, there is something especially significant about this moment. Jesus did not just wash the feet of Peter, John, and the other disciples.
Jesus also washed the feet of Judas.
The very man who would betray Him in a matter of minutes received the same loving act of service.
Then, in John 13:26, Jesus took the bread, dipped it, and gave it to Judas.
This was commonly understood as a gesture of friendship and honor. Jesus extended an act of kindness toward the very man who was preparing to betray Him.
Isn't that just like Jesus?
He washed the feet of the man who would betray Him. He extended kindness to the man who would turn against Him.
Judas was served by Jesus even when Jesus knew what Judas was about to do.
What a picture of the patience, mercy, and love of our Savior!
3. He Was Warned by Jesus
In John 13:21, Jesus became troubled in His spirit and told the disciples that one of them would betray Him.
Jesus knew exactly what was going to happen. Nothing about Judas' betrayal took Him by surprise.
In Matthew 26:24, Jesus gave this sobering warning:
“Woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.”
Imagine the tension around that table.
The disciples began questioning whether they were the ones who would betray Him. Jesus was making it clear that what was about to happen was serious.
I believe Jesus was giving Judas every opportunity to recognize his sin and turn from it.
Think about that. Judas was sitting in the presence of Jesus. He had heard the warning. He had witnessed the love of Christ firsthand.
Yet he refused to change his heart.
Jesus was warning him, but Judas would not listen.
Every time the Word of God is preached, we are given an opportunity to examine our hearts. God's Word warns us about sin, calls us to repentance, and points us toward a right relationship with Him.
We should never take those warnings lightly.
4. He Walked Away from the Table
John 13:30 says:
“He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night.”
Judas got up and walked away.
He left Jesus. He left the other eleven disciples. He left the fellowship of the men he had traveled with, served with, and ministered alongside.
The Bible makes a point of telling us that it was night.
Certainly, it was telling us the time of day, but what a picture of the darkness that had settled over Judas' heart.
He was walking away from the Light of the world.
Think about the significance of that moment. He had been given the same privilege as the others. He had been served by Jesus. He had been warned by Jesus.
But he still walked away.
How many people have done the same thing?
They have heard the preaching. They have experienced the goodness of God. They have been given opportunity after opportunity to make things right, but they continue walking away.
Why walk away from the One who loves you?
5. He Was Sorry, But He Did Not Truly Repent
After betraying Jesus, Judas experienced tremendous regret.
Matthew 27:3–4 tells us:
“Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.”
Judas was sorry about what he had done. He felt remorse. He even tried to return the thirty pieces of silver.
But his sorrow never brought him back to Jesus.
There is a difference between being sorry about the consequences of sin and being repentant over the sin itself.
Judas regretted what he had done, but he never returned to the Lord.
This is an important distinction. Remorse recognizes the pain of sin, but repentance turns away from sin and back toward God.
Judas thought he could somehow undo what he had done by returning the money. But the problem was much deeper than thirty pieces of silver. His heart needed to be made right with God.
And that brings us to a very important contrast.
6. He Could Have Returned, But He Chose Not To
There were twelve men around that table, and all of them had their failures.
Judas betrayed Jesus, but Peter denied Him.
Jesus had already told Peter that he would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed.
In fact, when Jesus was arrested, the other disciples also forsook Him.
Matthew 26:56 says:
“But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.”
Judas was not the only disciple who failed Jesus.
Peter denied Him. He even cursed and declared that he did not know the man.
But there was a difference in what happened afterward.
Matthew 26:75 says:
“And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.”
Peter was broken over his failure.
But unlike Judas, Peter did not remain in that broken condition. After the resurrection, Jesus specifically included Peter in the message to the disciples.
Mark 16:7 says:
“But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.”
Restoration was possible!
Peter had failed, but he could come back.
Judas walked away and never returned. Peter wept, repented, and was restored.
Here is what I want you to understand today:
You have not gone too far that you cannot come back to Jesus.
Don't just cry because you got caught in sin. Be broken because of your sin and desire to restore your relationship with Christ.
Real repentance is more than saying, “I wish I hadn't done that.”
Real repentance says, “Lord, I am sorry for what I have done, and with Your help, I want to turn away from it.”
The table of Jesus is still a place of grace, repentance, and restoration.
The Table Is Still Set
I want to bring this message back to where we started.
Twelve men sat around that table that night. Eleven believed, but one betrayed.
Every week, we gather in this church, and in a sense, we set the table.
Our musicians and sound team work hard to prepare an atmosphere that helps us worship the Lord. I try every week to set the table with the Word of God.
Because nothing I say really matters compared to what God's Word can accomplish.
Hebrews 4:12 says:
“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Every person who walks through these doors has the same opportunity to hear the truth and respond to Jesus Christ.
You may not have grown up in church. You may have a difficult past. You may feel like you don't belong or that you don't have anything to offer.
But don't count yourself out!
Jesus extended kindness to Judas. He offered him the same opportunity as the others. He warned him and gave him every opportunity to respond.
And He is still calling people today.
Every week, we hear the Word of God. Every week, we are reminded of our need for Christ. Every week, we have an opportunity to get things right.
But some people walk away.
They know something is wrong. They feel the conviction. They may even regret the way they are living.
But when the invitation comes, they refuse to respond.
They say, “I want to change, but I like my way. I just don't like the results.”
Friend, Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. You cannot find peace by continuing to walk away from Him.
I am reminded of something that happened when I married into Sandy's family.
Over the years, I have watched those sisters fuss, disagree, and tell each other exactly what they thought. Granddaddy Bill would often just sit there and giggle.
Families are families. Sometimes there are disagreements, bitterness, and hurt feelings.
But when Easter came, the food went on the table, and there was unity. When Thanksgiving came, there was unity. When Christmas came, there was unity.
There was something special about coming back together around the table.
And I want you to know something today.
Your life may be in disarray. You may have bitterness, struggles, heartache, hidden sin, or rebellion.
But the table is still set!
You can come to Jesus today. You can find forgiveness. You can experience restoration. You can leave this place at peace with God.
There is nothing greater than being at peace with God.
Judas walked away and never returned. Peter failed miserably, but he found his way back to the Lord.
The difference was not that one man had failed and the other had not. Both had failed.
The difference was what they did with their failure.
Today, the table is set for you.
It is a table of grace.
It is a table of repentance.
It is a table of restoration.
Don't walk away from the table today.
If you have never trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior, come to Him today. If there is something in your life that needs to be made right, come and ask Him to forgive you.
The same Jesus who extended love and mercy at that table is still offering grace today.
Come and dine!
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