John 13:19

“I strongly affirm to you that he who receives anyone whom I send, receives me, and he who receives me, receives him who sent me”.

These words are in strong contrast to the actions of Judas. They stress the carrying on of Jesus' ministry through His followers. They are an indication that what Judas was about to do could not affect the carrying forward of the Father's plan. But how will men then know that He is Who He is? The answer is that His followers, those whom He sends, will now take His place on earth. He has groomed them for this and He is no longer necessary. His earthly task (apart from His final sacrifice) is complete. But He will be represented by His own, and reception of them and their message will be reception of Him, and reception of Him in this way will be reception of the Father. Thus will they know that He is Who He is. These words, spoken immediately after the words indicating betrayal, provide the confident certainty that that betrayal will not affect the going forward of God's purposes. But the disjointedness of the context is an indication that John is staying closely to the very words of Jesus. He is getting over his point, not by inventing statements, but by a suitable use of what Jesus actually said.