In John 13 and 14, we find our Lord with His disciples in the upper room where He gives them important instruction. Before they leave the upper room together, the Lord speaks about the cross. But He does so differently than we might have expected. He presents two central aspects:
• First, He speaks of the “ruler of the world” (that is the devil), who had nothing in Him.
• Second, He speaks of His love for the Father and His obedience.
At first glance, these two aspects could hardly be more opposite. Yet the Lord deliberately places them directly side by side here. We want to reflect on this a little:
(1) The ruler of the world is coming and has nothing in Me
A “ruler” is someone who exerts influence in a specific area of responsibility. Satan has unlawfully seized this dominion. He dominates the world, the God-opposing system of people who became enemies of God through the Fall.
One day the devil will lose this rule, but he still has it for now. Everything that happens in the world is influenced by the devil. People are under his control.
If there is proof of this, it is the cross of Golgotha. At no other time was it so clear. It showed who steers people in their hatred and blind fury. For us, that should be a warning. We should move cautiously in the world and handle it carefully, as we are in enemy territory.
Here the Lord does not speak, as on other occasions, of the enemies. He does not mention the scribes and Pharisees., nor does He mention the Jews and the Romans. He does not say, “My enemies are coming.” Instead, He names one person: the “ruler of the world.”
The Power and Activity of the Enemy
In his first letter, John writes that the whole world lies in the evil one (1 John 5:19). The world made Satan ruler over fallen man. The system man builds is alienated from God.
The ruler of the world would come and would launch another attack on the Son of God. He had lost the first attack at the start of His ministry, when he had to leave Him for a time. But now he would come again.
The “ruler of this world” had controlled Judas and kept controlling him. He had the people in his power. They came to arrest Him (Luke 22:53), they would mistreat Him and finally kill Him. Even Peter temporarily came under the dark influence of the unseen world (Luke 22:31).
Christ’s Absolute Victory and Sinlessness
It was different with our Lord. That is why He immediately adds, “… and he has nothing in Me.” In other words, in the Pure and Holy One there was no foothold. Nothing could divert Him from His path of obedience. Only One could say that.
With us, there are many places where the devil can gain a hold. He can use them to bring us down. It would therefore be presumptuous to claim this about ourselves. Satan could find something in men of faith. He could find it in Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, or Peter. With Christ, by contrast, there was not a single point to seize. He was without fault and without blemish.
He was completely without sin. This was true not only as God. It was also true in His human nature. So the devil had nothing in Him. Unlike in the Garden of Eden, the devil did not meet an innocent man. He met “the holy Child” (Luke 1:35). He met the Man who could not sin who was sinless and righteous.
The Triumph of the Son of God
The Son would glorify the Father and accomplish His work. He would take the cup from the Father’s hand and drink it. The devil could not move Him a millimeter from this. Everything he tried would end in defeat. He tried to keep Him from fulfilling God’s will. But he could only fail.
All the devil’s attempts only made the glory shine more brightly. They displayed the perfection of the Son of God. His death would not be the result of the ruler’s power. It would be the proof that the Son loved the Father. The Lord did not try to assert His messianic claim to rule. Instead, He showed the world the power of His love and perfection.
For the disciples, this must have been great comfort. The Lord makes clear in advance how the coming conflict would end. It would be a victory for the Son of God. It would be a defeat for the ruler of the world.
(2) Love and obedience
The world was dominated by its ruler. It would crucify the Son of God. Yet it was to recognize that the Son loved the Father. It was to see that He acted according to His commandment.
The Lord was about to leave the upper room and go to the garden. There His enemies would arrest Him. Then they would crucify Him. The Lord now speaks of that cross. Yet He does not call it the place of the devil’s victory. It was the devil’s defeat. He also does not speak here about the power of darkness. Nor does He mention the sufferings of the cross.
He says something else about this cross. For the world, it would be the proof that He loves the Father. It would show that He did the work. He did it as the Father commanded Him. This is the divine perspective which we find repeatedly in this Gospel.
The world was to learn that the Son would endure the shameful death on the cross out of love for His Father. It would not be because the devil wanted it, because malicious people caused it or because Christ died as an evildoer or sinner.
It is not even about Him doing it out of love for us to save us. Although that is true, He did it out of love and obedience to His Father.
The World’s Response and Future Recognition
This is not about whether the world will accept this testimony or not. Only individuals did. The world as a system never recognized it. Only those who turn “out of the world” to Christ recognize it. When the Lord comes in power and great glory, all will recognize it. But then it will be too late to believe.
Then He will say, “I never knew you” (Matthew 7:23). The world will then have to acknowledge that the Son loves the Father. It will have to acknowledge that He was obedient to Him and it will have to acknowledge the Lord’s victory on the cross. We may know it already and rejoice in it.
Love Proven Through Perfect Obedience
On another occasion, the Lord Jesus also spoke of love and obedience, a commandment (John 10:17–18). But let us note the difference. There, the Father’s love for the Son is emphasized. Here, it is the Son’s love for the Father.
Love and obedience are inseparably connected. Love shows itself in obedience. The Lord spoke of this in verses 15, 21, and 23. Now He gives the perfect example. The world was to recognize that He loved the Father. It was to see that He did the work as the Father commanded Him. He did not only speak of love but He proved this love through His obedience.
In John’s Gospel, the Lord speaks much about love. He speaks about God’s love for the world and He speaks of the Father’s love for the Son. He speaks about the love of the Father and the Son for His own. But here He explicitly speaks about His love for the Father.
He would prove this love at the cross. He would remain obedient to death on a cross. That is how far His obedience went in love. And note that the Lord does not say, “what the Father commanded Me.” He says, “as the Father commanded Me.” It is not only about what is done. It is also about how it is done. In both, the Son was in complete agreement with the Father.
We admire our Lord and are amazed again and again. We see what glories appear when we consider the cross.
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