In recent visits we’ve seen that Jesus understood the times in which He was living. He knew Himself, who He was and what He was called to accomplish. He also anticipated the future.
As we continue to study John 13 it becomes clear He also knew those who stood with Him. He knew them better than they knew themselves, and took steps to prepare them for what they would face in the future.
He also knew who was against Him. He wasn’t afraid of His opposition. He knew them well enough that they wouldn’t take Him by surprise.
According to John 13:18, He knew how all of these issues are addressed in the Bible. This gave Him confidence in carrying out His mission and helping prepare His followers for their mission.
But, so that we might never forget that Jesus was human, it says in John 13:21, “After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, ‘I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me.’” A true servant leader always senses the dynamics that are going on around Him. He is in touch with reality. He feels it deeply. It isn’t that Jesus feared for Himself. He was troubled in spirit because of all that those around Him were going to face.
You see, as a servant leader He was not only love driven and knowledge directed, He was a devoted discipler. He was committed to seeing those who followed Him to be fully aware of the times in which they were living, the areas where they needed to grow and the relationships they needed to cultivate. As a servant leader He did all He could to help them in this process of becoming fully prepared.
