Welcome to Day 2158 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Gospel of John – 26 – What is Your A.Q. – Daily Wisdom

The Gospel of John – Part 4 Confirmation of the Word – What Is Your A.Q. (Acceptance Quotient)

Today we continue our series the Good News according to John the Apostle. Last, we joined Jesus behind closed doors with His disciples and saw him take on the role of the lowest servant as He washed His disciple’s feet.  I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.  Today, we continue with Jesus behind closed doors with His disciples as they proceed with the Passover meal. Our scripture for today is John 13:18-30. Follow along as I read today’s passage.  “I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture: ‘He who shared my bread has turned against me.’”  “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am.  Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.” After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.” His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant.  One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.” Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.”  But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor. As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night. For years, educational systems worldwide subjected students to tests to determine each individual’s I.Q. “Intelligence Quotient.” This quantified each person’s ability to remember facts, think imaginatively, logically organize information, and solve problems. The I.Q. became a means of identifying intellectually gifted students so they might be challenged to maximize their abilities; however, it also became a pretext for pushing a great many others to the fringes of education. In 1983, Harvard University professor Howard Gardner proposed a new theory, suggesting that intelligence has many different forms. For example, someone can be a mathematical genius, yet have difficulty working his home entertainment system. Another may score the highest I.Q. ever recorded, yet fail to interact with others at the most basic level of competence. Dr. Gardner recognized the existence of “multiple intelligences” and reacted strongly against assigning worth to people based on a single, instead arbitrarily chosen kind of intelligence. Instead, there is more to a person than their ability to solve mental puzzles. Jesus never valued a person’s I.Q.; He cared much more about developing His disciples’ A.Q. “Acceptance Quotient.” Whereas the I.Q. quantifies an individual’s mental capacity, the A.Q. measures one’s capacity for relationships. I define “acceptance” as one’s ability to receive others and recognize their worth without holding them to a predetermined standard or requiring any specific performance. Here is how one author describes this freedom, from the perspective of those we choose to accept:

• It means you are valuable just as you are. It allows you to be the real you. You aren’t forced into someone else’s idea of who you are. It means your ideas are taken seriously since they reflect you. You can talk about how you feel inside and why you feel that way—and someone cares.

This quality of acceptance, exemplified and encouraged by Jesus, requires some clarification, lest anyone misunderstand. First, acceptance does not negate discernment. Christian maturity requires discernment. To accept someone is not to be blinded to that person’s weakness, but rather to overlook those weaknesses when choosing to show honor. It is to demonstrate love without regard for another’s flaws.   Second, acceptance does not deny human sinfulness. On the contrary, acceptance fully considers sinfulness as one receives another into fellowship. If you’re looking for perfect people with whom to share fellowship, you’re destined to be lonely. Third, acceptance does offer unlimited freedom for each individual to be openly authentic without fear of rejection. Everyone can be at complete ease knowing that being themselves will not lead to condemnation or rejection. If someone’s lifestyle contradicts God’s precepts, we can still love and accept the person without approving their lifestyle choices. After Jesus rose from washing the disciples’ feet, He put on His robes and taught them about humility. However, He warned that not everyone around the table would understand the lesson, much less apply it. The fact that Jesus had just washed the feet of His betrayer would become the occasion of His next lesson. Humility not only bows low to serve others; humility also offers fellowship to lowly people. 13:18–20 Jesus announced that someone reclining at the table that evening would not receive any blessing. Instead, one among them who ate the unleavened bread provided by the Son of God would betray Him, which the Lord noted by quoting Psalm 41:9, “Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely, the one who shared my food, has turned against me.” He said, in effect, “The betrayer may think he has cleverly remained incognito, but his treachery was revealed long before he was born.” Make no mistake; this was a final warning for Judas. Imagine yourself reclining at the table beside Jesus. How would you respond if Jesus named your secret sin and then predicted your doom? I don’t know about you, but I would repent! “No, Lord! Save me from my sinfulness!” But not Judas. Before the beginning of the supper (John 13:2; Luke 22:3–6), Judas had already collected his 30 pieces of silver and had determined to betray Jesus to the religious authorities; he needed to determine the most suitable time. Jesus knew that Judas’s betrayal would soon shake the faith of the other disciples down to its foundation. So He reassured them in advance. To “accept” one sent by Christ is to receive Christ, and to receive Christ is to receive the Father. (v. 20) He assured His disciples that their acceptance had divine backing. 13:21–22 John described Jesus’ inner state as “troubled in spirit.” It’s the same Greek word standing before Lazarus’s grave before he called him out. It means “agitated,” presumably by deep distress or sometimes anger. I believe the Lord genuinely grieved the loss of Judas. I believe the love He held for His betrayer nearly broke His heart.   Jesus stunned those at the table with a revelation of divine truth: one of the disciples would betray Him. As the disciples exchanged inquisitive looks and expressed their alarm, I have no doubt Judas feigned disbelief as credibly as the others. 13:22–26 Apparently, Peter sat opposite Jesus at the table, too far away to have a private conversation. So, he motioned for John to ask Jesus the identity of the traitor. The customary posture for dining was to lie on one’s left side, propped on one elbow, with the feet angled away from the table. John reclined on Jesus’ right. Rather than turn his head, he merely leaned back on Jesus’ chest and looked up. Someone would only do this with a very close friend or relative, but it would not have been an unusual sight around an ancient Near Eastern supper table. Jesus revealed to John the traitor’s identity with a familiar gesture of friendship. Jesus dipped a piece of unleavened bread into one of the bowls containing a paste made from bitter herbs, or perhaps lamb stew, and gave it to Judas. Apparently, Judas reclined within easy reach, suggesting he may have been lying to Jesus’ left, the honored position at a banquet. This was Jesus’ final act of grace to Judas. He had washed the man’s feet and given him the place of honor by His side; the Lord offered him, fellowship, despite the sin in the traitor’s heart. We find out that after receiving this fellowship in Matthew 26:25, “Judas, the one who would betray him, also asked, ‘Rabbi, am I the one?’ And Jesus told him, ‘You have said it.’” 13:27–30 Verse 27 is one of the most chilling verses in all of Scripture. As willing hearts receive Christ, willing hearts receive Satan. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. Secret sin inevitably warps the mind and twists one’s values. Embezzlers like Judas rarely steal very much at first. But as the pilfering becomes habitual and ritualized, the thief must learn to rationalize his sin or face the awful prospect of repentance. Driven by shame, he must keep his sin a secret. Meanwhile, the cycle of compulsion and shame drives a wedge between his private thoughts and a fastidiously maintained—and often pious—public persona. Eventually, the sinner accepts his public facade as his true self to escape the relentless pursuit of shame. When caught in sin, an embezzler almost always appears shocked. And in some ways, he is surprised by the accusations because he has convinced himself that no one can see the true person he had long ago concealed. Judas had been cultivating a double life for months or possibly years (6:70–71). His charming religious facade kept a seething resentment safely concealed from others. No one suspected his secret sin, much less wondered about his loyalty. Even as he received the morsel from Jesus and departed into the night without explanation, no one suspected anything. John wrote of these events some sixty years after they occurred, giving him ample time to reflect. Moreover, the Holy Spirit directed the spotlight of his mind to specific details to communicate profound spiritual truths. Jesus’ life lessons on humility and acceptance occurred while Judas was present. The Lord washed his feet, gave him the seat of honor at the table, and even offered him, fellowship. Because Jesus was fully human, experiencing all of the emotions, weaknesses, and temptations we endure, we can be confident the gestures of acceptance did not come quickly. Grace is often a costly gift to give. Application: John 13:18–30 How to Spot a Falling A.Q. If grace is our defining doctrine as genuine believers, then our ability to accept others is a visible test of our belief. I am unreservedly conservative in my theology and find the greatest kinship among my fellow conservative theologians, so I appreciate their uncompromising desire for pure doctrine and their rapid identification and occasional reproof of false teachers. I join their courageous stand against the world’s encroaching evil. However, must we lower our A.Q. to maintain a high theological I.Q.? Here are three signs of a falling Acceptance Quotient, three indications that grace has not bridged the gap between one’s head and heart. First, people with a falling A.Q. are unwilling to accept people without maintaining partiality. Accept people while remaining partial? It happens all the time. The apostle James refers to this when admonishing church leaders; if you remember our study in James 2:1-4, “My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others? For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, ‘You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor’—well,  doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?” No one outright rejected the man with dirty clothes; however, they expected him to know his place. Similarly, today, we are often partial in the way we treat people. Deep pockets get the good seats and positions in leadership; people with suspicious backgrounds are welcome, as long as they dutifully wear the appropriate scarlet letter: A for adultery, E for emotional trauma, S for single, or D for (God forbid!) divorce. Once they prove their worth or patiently dispel our suspicions, we might grant them greater access to the privileged inner circle of the fully accepted. How wrong! How unlike Christ! Second, people with a falling A.Q. are unwilling to accept another’s personal style without criticism. I’m not referring to matters of morality or doctrine, but one’s choice of personal expression. In some churches, the pastor wears a robe. In others, a flashy suit. In still others, business attire. In a great many, jeans and a T-shirt. If Christ is preached and souls are added to the kingdom, who cares about attire!   Churches divide over differing tastes in music. Some Christians are unwilling to sit through even one service in which music fits another style. They grouse and complain because others dared to enjoy a worship service they didn’t personally care for. They are willing to accept others who prefer a different style as long as they attend the other service. Third, people with a falling A.Q. are unwilling to suffer offenses without holding a grudge. People who hold grudges reject others who do not meet their expectations and accept only those who do. That attitude is more characteristic of nonbelievers than genuine members of Christ’s body. I’ve heard more than one nonbeliever reject attending church because “it’s full of a bunch of hypocrites.” I say, “Come on in; there’s room for one more!” Let’s face it; relationships would go much smoother in churches if they were filled with perfect people. But the key to acceptance is not perfection, so we must learn to set aside offenses and accept one another, not despite our flaws—conditional love—but with our flaws. Acceptance doesn’t mean we have to lower the biblical standard of righteousness, become like other people, or even adopt their personal styles as our own. Acceptance merely honors the value of other people as the unique workmanship of a delightfully creative God. Acceptance is having the grace to let others be. Intellectually, you are probably very bright, perhaps above average. But how high is your A.Q.? In the kingdom of God, that’s what really matters. Next, now that Judas has left to perform his dastardly deed of betraying Jesus, we see Jesus focusing on the remaining 11 disciples, teaching them about Agape: Authentic Love for each other. Please read John 13:31-38 in preparation for our next message. Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and, most importantly, your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal. As we take this trek together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you next time for more wisdom from God’s Word!