# 390 Lost Souls Trouble Jesus

Genesis Study

# 390

Ge 41: 32 "And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

We  are taking a little break from the study in Genesis to pursue the importance of repetition in the Scriptures. In particular we are looking at the “verily, verilies” found in the Gospel of John. When God repeats things, He is merely underlining or highlighting them for us. He gives them an extra sense of urgency.

Today we will look at Joh 13:20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.  21 When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.

 Wow! Back to back “verilies!” Time is getting short for Jesus! This is the night before He would be put to death and there is much on His mind, and much He wants to say to His disciples. Woven into this discourse of forgiving one another, and not being greater than their Master is His assertion that one among them would betray Him.  He knew this betrayal was coming and He wanted His disciples to know that the Scripture had already spoken of it in Ps 41:9, “Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.”

He says, “the reason I mention this now, is that when it comes to pass, you may believe that I am He, I am the sent One!” (The Messiah!)

Then He says, “Let Me tell you another important truth: “He who receives whomever I send,  receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” What words of comfort that the Holy Spirit will be able to bring to mind later on for these Apostles. As they faced horrendous persecution, they would have this truth to cling to! Any rejection of the Apostles and their doctrine by others would not be personal, those rejecting them, were in reality rejecting Jesus and the Father.

Suddenly, Jesus is greatly troubled, as this truth was about to hit home for Judas. “Verily, verily, one of you will betray Me,” One of you will reject the truth that I am the Messiah, the sent One. This troubling of Jesus should tell us something about Jesus. Lost souls trouble Him. They matter to Him. “Behind every set of eyes is a soul that matters to God!”

Let us remember this as we follow the lead of the Apostles and become the sent ones who tell of God’s “sent One.” Lost souls matter to God! Even in the midst of massive rejection of the gospel message we bring, let us never cease to be troubled as Jesus was, for the lost! Lost souls matter to the One who sends us, and they ought to matter to us!