Live to Love Scripture Encouragement

John 13:24 So Simon Peter gestured to him, and said to him, "Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking."
It makes sense for Peter to ask John to clarify Jesus’ statement. If we know someone is close to Jesus, we assume that they know what is on Jesus’ mind. When we are troubled or in need of counsel, we should be drawn to those who lean on Jesus. It makes sense that as we lean on Jesus and live to love with Him, that others will notice that closeness and ask us to clarify the words of Jesus. I hope that today, we who have been loved by Jesus will lean into Him, take comfort, and listen to His heart so that we can love well and faithfully represent Him to those who want to know Him better.

Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com

If you don't love this, reconsider your path - Blog for April 2026 by Norm Wakefield

John 13:23 There was reclining on Jesus' bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.
John’s personal testimony about his being loved by Jesus warms my heart. How about you? He reclined on Jesus’ bosom at the dinner table. Obviously he was next to Jesus. That seems strange unless we consider the context. Jesus had just told them that one of them would betray him. Perhaps the thought of losing Jesus so overwhelmed him that he leaned over on Jesus as a show of compassion. Or more likely, he leaned on Jesus for comfort because John knew Jesus loved him. We don’t know the reason why John was in that position, but we read that John knew he was loved. Isn’t it true that when someone loves us, we are concerned for them because they are so special to us? And when we are troubled, do we not lean on Jesus for comfort because we know He loves us? Would we say the same? “I am one of Jesus’ disciples whom He has loved.” We can’t live to love with Jesus if we don’t know that we are loved by Him. When we are confident that He loves us, we draw near to Him when facing troubling times.

Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com

John 13:22 The disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know of which one He was speaking.
In many cases, it’s not easy to detect a goat amongst the sheep or the tares from the wheat. Apparently Judas fit right in with the rest of the disciples. They had just been told by Jesus that one of them was a betrayer, and they had no idea who it might be. Of course, Judas knew at that moment that he was the one, but do you think he came into the relationship with Jesus with the intent to betray and harm Jesus? I doubt it. This is sobering and humbling. Living to love with Jesus requires watchfulness and humility which Judas lacked. The potential for evil was within Judas, but he didn’t know it. He probably genuinely thought he was one of the bunch. In fact, maybe even greater than most because he was chosen to be responsible for the money box (13:29). The apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:12, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.” The reason it is so important to live to love with Jesus, is that living with His purpose protects us from being self-deceived and mislead by the devil’s lies.

Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com

John 13:21 When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me."
Jesus told them ahead of time what was to occur, just like He promised. This was to bolster their faith in Him, which was a good thing. However, John noted that Jesus was troubled when He told them. We aren’t told what troubled Jesus except the knowledge that Judas was going to betray Him, which was to reject the one who sent Him, namely His Father. I don’t think this is because Jesus was concerned about His or His Father’s feelings. It is never in the best interest of anyone to reject the Father or His Son. It is troubling in spirit to see anyone spurn the love of God because we know they are in darkness and in grave spiritual danger.
If it troubled Jesus when His Father was rejected, we may detect His troubled spirit also when others reject His love through us. Not for our sakes but for theirs. To reject us is to reject Jesus when we are loving in His name. If we are being selfish and they reject us, that’s understandable. When we live to love with Jesus, and that love is not received, let’s take care that we are not troubled by their rejection of us, but by the consequences that will befall the one who rejects Him. Although we don’t know this for sure, but it is most likely that Jesus washed Judas’ feet along with the others. He loved His enemies and was kind to Judas. As we know, He even greeted Judas with a kiss when he brought the soldiers to arrest Jesus. May we love like Jesus loved—and even love those who betray us.

Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com