“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.”
John 13:20 (NLT)
Jesus speaks these words at one of the most intense moments of the Last Supper. He has already washed the disciples’ feet. He has already told them that Scripture would be fulfilled through betrayal. He is preparing them so that when it happens, they will believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that He truly is the Messiah.
Immediately after this verse, Jesus becomes deeply troubled and says plainly, “One of you will betray me.” The room fills with confusion. No one suspects Judas. When Jesus identifies him by dipping the bread and handing it to him—an act of love and honor—Judas receives it, and then Satan enters him. Judas leaves into the night to betray Jesus, while the others assume he has gone to do something good, like buying food or giving to the poor.
So why does verse 20 appear here?
On its own, Jesus’ words are familiar: welcoming the one God sends is the same as welcoming God Himself. Jesus says this elsewhere. But within this moment—right between prophecy, betrayal, and departure—it carries more weight. Jesus is preparing the disciples for a future where His presence will come to them differently.
They did not need another human messenger. They had walked with Jesus. They had seen His miracles and heard His voice. But they would need to learn how to welcome the One Jesus would send after He left—the Holy Spirit. The same trust they placed in Jesus as the One sent from the Father would now need to carry forward into welcoming God’s presence through the Spirit.
This matters because many believers still struggle here. We are comfortable welcoming Jesus, yet hesitant to welcome the Holy Spirit—His gifts, His voice, His work among us. But Jesus shows us a pattern: when God sends, we don’t shrink back in fear. To welcome what God sends is to welcome Him.
Jesus is teaching them—and us—that God’s presence doesn’t end when Jesus leaves the table. It continues through the Spirit He sends.