John 13:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me."

NIV: Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me."

NASB: Truly, truly I say to you, the one who receives anyone I send, receives Me; and the one who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.'

CSB: Truly I tell you, whoever receives anyone I send receives me, and the one who receives me receives him who sent me."

NLT: I tell you the truth, anyone who welcomes my messenger is welcoming me, and anyone who welcomes me is welcoming the Father who sent me.'

KJV: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

NKJV: Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”

It's possible to read this verse and find it out of place. Seen from the right perspective however, it's a bridge between two sections of this passage. After speaking of His example of humble servanthood (John 13:12–16), Jesus has hinted that someone in His inner circle will betray Him (John 13:17–19).

This statement reiterates the idea that the gospel is God's message, carried by people. It's entirely true that we can put unnecessary barriers in other peoples' spiritual path (2 Corinthians 6:3). Such things aside, those who reject the gospel itself are rejecting God, and those who accept it are accepting Him (John 17:8). When someone hears the gospel, their response to it is not—primarily—a response to the person from whom they hear it. It's the hearer either embracing or ignoring the voice of the Holy Spirit (Acts 7:51; Matthew 10:14).

In the same sense, those who listen to the gospel preaching of a true believer are listening to Christ; to listen to Christ is to listen to God. That message is true, even though there are those who falsely claim the name of Christ, or who reject His truth in favor of their own desires.

That establishes the connection between this statement, the prior verses, and the passage which follows. Judas is not a true follower of Christ. And yet, he was chosen for his role by Jesus. That does not change the fact that Jesus chose, sent, and empowered the other disciples. Judas' betrayal does not make the witness of Peter, or Andrew, or Thomas invalid. The sin of some scandalized believer does not undo the truth proclaimed by millions of others.

This does, however, make Judas' rejection of Christ that much more tragic. Despite all the miracles and sermons he witnessed, Judas has already chosen damnation (Mark 14:18–21). In the following passage, Jesus begins to express the powerful human emotions that come with being betrayed. Among those, probably, is sorrow at knowing how painful this news will be to the rest of the inner circle.

John 13:12–20 is Jesus' explanation of His humble act: washing the feet of the disciples. Christ freely accepts His role as Lord and master, using those concepts to drive home His main point. Those who claim the name of Jesus ought to follow His example. That means humility and service for others—if the Lord serves others, so too should those who follow Him. Jesus also points out that not everyone at this event truly follows Him. This prediction is given to strengthen the faith of true believers once everything has been revealed. The following passage expands on the impending betrayal.

Jesus meets with a smaller group, possibly only the twelve disciples, in a private setting. Before eating a meal, Jesus performs the work of a lowly servant, washing the feet of the disciples. He explains that this is an object lesson. Their Lord is willing to serve in humility, so they are obligated to do the same. Jesus also predicts His impending betrayal, subtly telling Judas to leave and complete His conspiracy. The disciples don't realize what's happened, however. Peter foolishly brags about his loyalty. Jesus responds with a cutting prediction: Peter will deny his relationship to Christ three times in the next few hours.

The first twelve chapters of the gospel of John describe the public ministry of Jesus. Starting in chapter 13, most of what John describes are the last private moments Jesus enjoys prior to His crucifixion. This begins with Jesus washing the disciples' feet, establishing both an example and a command for humble service. Jesus also predicts His impending betrayal and Peter's cowardly denials. Following chapters contain Jesus' last instructions to the disciples, including a rich collection of truths which are central to the Christian faith.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.