Omniscience of Jesus

 

Chapter 13    Cleansing  

Association with a holy God demands a degree of cleansing.  The emphasis in v1-17  is of personal cleansing; in v18-38 of corporate cleansing.  The whole focus in this private ministry to His disciples, is on Him, on all that He is, and all that He will be for them. 

Verses 1-3 His Deity.  Verses 4-7 His humility.  Verses 8-17 His delegation to the disciples.  Verses 18-30 His trouble of soul at the departure of Judas  Verses 31-38  His predicted departure to glory. 

His Deity   v1-3   We are brought face to face with His Omniscience, what He knew, that no one else but God could know. 

“Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come, that He should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end. And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon son, to betray Him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands and that He was come from God and went to God.”

The Omniscience of Christ is a major topic in the Gospel of John, as we have already seen.  This points to His absolute Deity.  He knew that His hour had come.  He was so keenly aware of the mission on which He had been sent; He was also aware of the timescale of events.  The phrase “the hour is come” refers to the climax of that mission.  Cited in 2v4; 7v6v30; 8v20; 12v23v27;13v1; 17v1, it is used to indicate the arrival of significant events.  He uses it in connection with the climax of world events, and of His own mission in this world.  In chapter 12 it refers to the crucifixion, here it is to the ascension back to the Father.  Thus the phrase signifies the culmination of anything, in the case of Christ, the completion of His work.  This involved His death, burial, resurrection and ascension to exalted glory in heaven.  The time had come when He would return to the Father from whom He had come with the greatest intentions of all, the salvation of believing humanity.  We have then here the climax of His purpose here on earth, and, also the climax of His passion for His “own”, whom He loved to the end, or to the uttermost as the word truly means.  The Greek tel’os is the extreme end, the ultimate end to which any such emotion can go.  It comes from the world of archery, where the arrow hits the bullseye.  There is only perfection in the love of Jesus for His own.  In chapter 1v11 it was stated, referring to the bulk of the nation, that “His own received Him not…”  Here we have His own who have received Him and His love for them is to the uttermost. 

He knew that the devil had put into the heart of Judas Iscariot to betray Him.  He knows, not only the time scale of His Father, He knew the innermost workings of the human heart, and that, sadly, His old friend would betray him.  This would set in motion the events that would lead to his arrest and arraignment and ultimately to the crucifixion.  For over three years now, he had known that Judas was not right with Him, yet He suffered him long, and even at the end gave him the opportunity to repent, by giving him special place at the table.

He knew that the Father had put all things into His hand, that to Him had been passed the titles of world government.  He will say in the Great Commission that “all authority is given unto me in heaven and upon earth”-Matthew 28v18.  The Sovereign control of the universe was His by Divine right.

He knew that He was come from God and went to God, He is about to return to the God, His Father who sent Him, it would be truly “Mission accomplished”-the greatest mission ever undertaken by anyone.  He is returning to God from whom He came, but now as a man in human flesh, to enthrone His work, to save all who would receive Him.