John 13

John 13:1

H. Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet (13:1-11) In chapter 13, the Upper Room Discourse begins. Jesus was no longer walking among the hostile Jews. He had retired with His disciples to an upper room in Jerusalem for a final time of fellowship with them before going forth to His trial and crucifixion. John 13 through 17 is one of the best-loved sections in the entire NT. 13:1 The day before the crucifixion, the Lord Jesus knew that the time had come for Him to die, to rise again, and to go back to heaven. He had loved His own, that is, those who were true believers. He loved them to the end of His earthly ministry, and will continue to love them throughout eternity. But He also loved them to an infinite degree, as He was about to demonstrate. 13:2 John does not say which supper is referred to herewhether the Passover, the Lord’s Supper, or an ordinary meal. The devil sowed the thought in the heart of Judas that the time was now ripe to betray Jesus. Judas had plotted evil against the Lord long before this, but he was now given the signal for carrying out his foul plans. 13:3 Verse 3 emphasizes who was performing a slave’s tasknot just a rabbi or teacher, but Jesus, who was conscious of His deity. He knew the work that had been committed to Him; He knew that He had come from God and that He was already on His journey back to God. 13:4 It was the consciousness of who He was, and of His mission and destiny, that enabled Him to stoop down and wash the disciples’ feet. Rising from supper, the Lord laid aside His long outer garments. Then He put a towel around Himself as an apron, taking the place of a slave. We might have expected this incident to be in the Gospel of Mark, the Gospel of the Perfect Servant. But the fact that it is in the Gospel of the Son of God makes it all the more remarkable. This symbolic act reminds us of how the Lord left the ivory palaces above, came down into this world as a Servant, and ministered to those He had created. 13:5 In eastern lands, the use of open sandals made it necessary to wash one’s feet frequently. It was common courtesy for a host to arrange to have a slave wash the feet of his guests. Here the divine Host became the slave and performed this lowly service. Jesus at the feet of the traitorwhat a picture! What lessons for us!13:6 Peter was shocked to think of the Lord’s washing his feet, and he expressed his disapproval that One so great as the Lord should condescend to one so unworthy as he. The sight of God in the role of a servant is disturbing.13:7 Jesus now taught Peter that there was a spiritual meaning to what He was doing.

Foot-washing was a picture of a certain type of spiritual washing. Peter knew that the Lord was performing the physical act, but he did not understand the spiritual significance. He would know it soon, however, because the Lord explained it. And he would know it by experience when later he was restored to the Lord after having denied Him. 13:8 Peter illustrates the extremes of human nature. He vowed that the Lord would never wash his feetand here never literally means not for eternity. The Lord answered Peter that apart from His washing, there could be no fellowship with Him. The meaning of foot-washing is now unfolded. As Christians walk through this world, they contract a certain amount of defilement. Listening to vile talk, looking at unholy things, working with ungodly men inevitably soil the believer. He needs to be constantly cleansed. This cleansing takes place by the water of the Word. As we read and study the Bible, as we hear it preached, and as we discuss it with one another, we find that it cleanses us from the evil influences about us. On the other hand, the more we neglect the Bible, the more these wicked influences can remain in our minds and lives without causing us any great concern. When Jesus said you have no part with Me, He did not mean that Peter could not be saved unless He washed him, but rather that fellowship with the Lord can be maintained only by the continual cleansing action of the Scriptures in his life. 13:9, 10 Now Peter shifted to the other extreme. A minute ago, he was saying, Never. Now he said, Wash me all over.On the way back from the public bath, a person’s feet would get dirty again. He didn’t need another bath but did need to have his feet washed. He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean. There is a difference between the bath and the basin.

The bath speaks of the cleansing received at the time of one’s salvation. Cleansing from the penalty of sin through the blood of Christ takes place only once. The basin speaks of cleansing from the pollution of sin and must take place continually through the Word of God. There is one bath but many foot-washings. You are clean, but not all of you means that the disciples had received the bath of regenerationthat is, all the disciples but Judas. He had never been saved. 13:11 With full knowledge of all things, the Lord knew that Judas would betray Him, and so He singled out one as never having had the bath of redemption.

John 13:12

I. Jesus Teaches His Disciples to Follow His Example (13:12-20) 13:12 It would seem that Christ washed the feet of all the disciples. Then He put on His outer garments and sat down again to explain to them the spiritual meaning of what He had done. He opened the conversation by asking a question. The questions of the Savior make an interesting study. They form one of His most effective methods of teaching. 13:13, 14 The disciples had acknowledged Jesus to be their Teacher and Lord, and they were right in doing so. But His example showed that the highest rank in the power structure of the kingdom is that of servant. If the Lord and Teacher had washed the disciples’ feet, what excuse could they have for not washing one another’s feet? Did the Lord mean that they should literally wash each other’s feet with water? Was He here instituting an ordinance for the church? No, the meaning here was spiritual. He was telling them that they should keep each other clean by constant fellowship over the Word. If one sees his brother growing cold or worldly, he should lovingly exhort him from the Bible. 13:15, 16 The Lord had given them an example, an object lesson of what they should do to one another spiritually. If pride or personal animosities prevent us from stooping to serve our brethren, we should remember that we are not greater than our Master. He humbled Himself to wash those who were unworthy and unthankful, and He knew that one of them would betray Him. Would you minister in a lowly way to a man if you knew he was about to betray you for money? Those who were sent (the disciples) should not consider themselves too lofty to do anything that the One who sent them (the Lord Jesus) had done. 13:17 To know these truths concerning humility and unselfishness and service is one thing, but one can know them and never practice them. The real value and blessedness lie in doing them! 13:18 What the Lord had just been teaching about service did not apply to Judas. He was not one of those whom the Lord would send into all the world with the gospel. Jesus knew the Scriptures concerning His betrayal must be fulfilledsuch Scriptures as Psa_41:9. Judas was one who had eaten his meals with the Lord for three years, and yet he lifted up his heel against Him an expression indicating that he betrayed the Lord. In Psalms 41 the betrayer is described by the Lord as my own familiar friend.13:19 The Lord revealed His betrayal to the disciples in advance so that when it came to pass, the disciples would know that Jesus was true deity. The italicized word He can be omitted from the end of this verse.

You may believe that I AM. The Jesus of the NT is the Jehovah of the Old. Thus, fulfilled prophecy is one of the great proofs of the deity of Christ and also, we might add, of the inspiration of Scriptures. 13:20 Our Lord knew that His betrayal might cause the other disciples to stumble or doubt. So He added this word of encouragement. They should remember that they were being sent on a divine mission. They were to be so closely identified with Him that to receive them was the same as receiving Him. Also, those who received Christ received God the Father. They were thus to be comforted by their close link with God the Son and God the Father.

John 13:21

J. Jesus Predicts His Betrayal (13:21-30) 13:21, 22 The knowledge that one of His disciples would betray Him caused the Lord to be deeply troubled. It seems that Jesus was here giving the betrayer a final opportunity to abandon his evil plan. Without exposing him directly, the Lord revealed His knowledge that one of the twelve would betray Him. Yet even this did not change the traitor’s mind. The rest of the disciples did not suspect Judas. They were surprised that one of their number would do such a thing and puzzled as to who he could be. 13:23 In those days, people did not sit up at a table for a meal but reclined on low couches. The disciple whom Jesus loved was John, the writer of this Gospel. He omitted mentioning his own name, but did not hesitate to mention the fact that he held a place of special affection in the Savior’s heart. The Lord loved all the disciples, but John enjoyed a special sense of closeness to Him. 13:24, 25 Peter therefore motioned rather than speaking audibly. Perhaps by nodding his head, he asked John to find out the name of the betrayer. Leaning back on Jesus’ breast John asked the fateful question in a whisper and was probably answered in a low voice also. 13:26 Jesus answered that He would give a piece of bread … dipped in wine or meat juice to the traitor. Some say that an Eastern host gave the bread to the honored guest at a meal. By making Judas the honored guest, the Lord thus tried to win him to repentance by His grace and love. Others suggest that the bread was commonly passed in this way in connection with the Passover supper. If that is true, then Judas left during the Passover supper and before the Lord’s Supper was instituted. 13:27 The devil had already put it into Judas’ heart to betray the Lord. Now Satan entered him. At first, it was merely a suggestion. But Judas entertained it, liked it, and agreed to it. Now the devil took control of him. Knowing the betrayer was now fully determined, the Lord told him to do it quickly. Obviously, He was not encouraging him to do evil but simply expressing sorrowful resignation. 13:28, 29 This verse confirms that the previous conversation between Jesus and John about the bread was not heard by the other disciples. They still did not know that Judas was about to betray their Lord. Some thought that Jesus had simply told Judas to go quickly and buy something for the feast, or because Judas was the treasurer, that the Savior had instructed him to make a donation to the poor. 13:30 Judas received the piece of bread as a token of special favor, and then left the company of the Lord and of the other disciples. The Scriptures add the meaningful words and it was night. It was not only night in a literal sense, but it was night spiritually for Judasa night of gloom and remorse that would never end. It is always night when men turn their backs on the Savior.

John 13:31

K. The New Commandment Given (13:31-35) 13:31 As soon as Judas left, Jesus began to speak with the disciples more freely and intimately. The tension was gone. Now the Son of Man is glorified, He said. The Lord was anticipating the work of redemption which He was about to accomplish. His death might have seemed like defeat, yet it was the means by which lost sinners could be saved. It was followed by His resurrection and ascension, and He was greatly honored in it all. And God is glorified in the work of the Savior. It proclaimed Him to be a holy God who could not pass over sin, but also a loving God who did not desire the death of the sinner; it proclaimed how He could be a just God, yet be able to justify sinners. Every attribute of deity was superlatively magnified at Calvary. 13:32 If God is glorified in Him, and He is, God will also glorify Him in Himself. God will see that appropriate honor is given to His beloved Son. And glorify Him immediatelywithout delay. God the Father fulfilled this prediction of the Lord Jesus by raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His own right hand in heaven. God would not wait until the kingdom was ushered in. He would glorify His Son immediately. 13:33 For the first time the Lord Jesus addressed His disciples as little childrena term of endearment. And He used it only after Judas had departed. He was only to be with them a little while longer. Then He would die on the cross. They would seek Him then, but would not be able to follow Him, for He would return to heaven. The Lord had told the same thing to the Jews, but He meant it in a different sense. For the disciples, His departure would only be temporary. He would come again for them (chap. 14). But for the Jews, His leaving them would be final. He was returning to heaven, and they could not follow Him because of their unbelief. 13:34 During His absence, they were to be governed by the commandment of love. This commandment was not new in point of time because the Ten Commandments taught love to God and to one’s neighbor. But this commandment was new in other ways. It was new because the Holy Spirit would empower believers to obey it. It was new in that it was superior to the old. The old said, Love your neighbor, but the new said, Love your enemies.It has been well said that the law of love to others is now explained with new clarity, enforced by new motives and obligations, illustrated by a new example, and obeyed in a new way. Also it was new, as explained in the verse, because it called for a higher degree of love: As I have loved you, that you also love one another.13:35 The badge of Christian discipleship is not a cross worn around the neck or on the lapel, or some distinctive type of clothing. Anyone could profess discipleship by these means. The true mark of a Christian is love for his fellow Christians. This requires divine power, and this power is only given to those indwelt by the Spirit.

John 13:36

L. Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial (13:36-38) 13:36 Simon Peter did not understand that Jesus had spoken of His death. He thought He was going on some earthly journey and did not understand why he could not go along. The Lord explained that Peter would follow Him later, that is, when he died, but could not do so now. 13:37 With typical devotion and enthusiasm, Peter expressed willingness to die for the Lord. He thought he could endure martyrdom by his own strength. Later he actually did die for the Lord, but it was because he had been given special strength and courage by God. 13:38 Jesus checks his zeal without knowledge by telling Peter something he himself did not knowthat before the night was ended, he would deny the Lord three times. Thus Peter was reminded of his weakness, cowardice, and inability to follow the Lord for even a few hours by his own power.