John 13

John 13:1

Within a span of five days, the two most important foot washings in the history of the world took place. On the Saturday before Palm Sunday, the Saturday before Jesus rode into Jerusalem to present Himself as King, He went into the house of Mary, who washed His feet with costly perfume (Joh_12:3). Five days later, this One who had His feet anointed with the spikenard of Mary washes the dirt off the feet of the disciples before sharing with them a powerful, penetrating teaching known as the Upper Room discourse. That’s always the way it is with the Lordbefore He teaches, He touches. Regardless of the fact that at this moment, as Luke tells us, His own disciples are bickering and arguing among themselves concerning who is the greatest, Jesus looks at His disciples and calls them His own. So, too, as Jesus’ followers, we are His ownHis own sheep in John 10, His own brethren in Hebrews 2, His own bride in Ephesians 5, His own Body in 1 Corinthians 12. His ownership was creative in that He made us, elective in that He chose us, redemptive in that He died for us. Jesus looked at this motley crew of ragtag renegades and loved them to the end, or, literally “unto the uttermost.” In other words, He loved them with no limiteven though He was aware of their past faltering. “Let’s call down fire from heaven and kill everyone who doesn’t respond to You,” said James and John heatedly (see Luk_9:54). “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” scoffed Nathanael skeptically (see Joh_1:46). He was also aware of their future failings. “Satan desires to sift you like wheat, Peter,” He would say. “But I have prayed for you, and when you come through, strengthen the brothers” (see Luk_22:31-32). He was also aware of their present flaws. As they sat together in the Upper Room, Luke tells us the disciples were not sitting in ladder-backed chairs gazing piously at Jesus. No, they were reclined around a low table, arguing among themselves about who was the greatest (Luk_22:24). Not only was there arguing around the table, but stinking feet underneath the table. You see, it was customary for a servant to wash the dust off the feet of anyone who entered the home of his master. In this case, however, no one humbled himself to wash feet, so everyone’s feet remained dirty. Past faltering, present failure, future flaws, and stinking feet notwithstanding, Jesus saw His disciples not only in their present vulnerabilities but also in their eventual victoryand loved them to the uttermost.

John 13:2

Jesus looked at His bickering, stinky disciples and loved them because He knew from whence He came and where He was headed. Both are absolute prerequisites for love. You see, only faith concerning the past and hope concerning the future allow one to genuinely love in the present.

John 13:4

Just as Jesus rose from the Last Supper, He rose, in eternity past, from the banquet that He enjoyed with the Father and Spirit continually to willingly take upon Himself the form of a Man. It wasn’t that a committee of threeFather, Son, and Holy Ghostvoted who would go, and Jesus lost two to one. No, in the council of eternity past, the Son said, “I choose to leave the intimacy of this heavenly banquet to invade the time/space continuum in order to redeem mankind” (see Php_2:7-8). Just as Jesus laid aside His earthly garments, Philippians 2 says He laid aside His garments of glory to come and dwell among us. When you grasp this vital concept, your reading of the Gospels will take on an entirely new dimension, for you will understand that the miracles Jesus didthe walking on water, the multiplying of the loaves and fishes, the quieting of the stormwere all done not because of any innate power, but simply because of His dependence upon the Father. Just as Jesus wrapped Himself in a towel, so He wrapped His divinity in human flesh. He was still God, totally God, always Godyet wrapped in the towel of humanity. One commentator points out that the word “towel” used here refers to a linen towel. Linen speaking of righteousness, the picture is perfect. Jesus wraps Himself in the righteous towel of human flesh, for He was like usyet without sin (Heb_4:15).

John 13:5

Water speaks of the Word. “You are clean through the Word which I have spoken unto you,” said Jesus (see Joh_15:3). We are washed, says Paul, by the water of the Word (Eph_5:26). So, wrapped in the towel of human frailty, Jesus pours out His Word to us. He tells us who God is. He tells us how to live. He becomes flesh and dwells among us. This model is not a picture of salvation, but of sanctification; not of conversion, but of confession (1Jn_1:9). As I walk through this world, I get dirty feet. And here’s Jesus, who not only pours out the truth of purity, but then makes application for you and me as He washes us continually. Just as He dried the disciples’ feet, what’s Jesus doing at this moment? He is interceding for us. And He’s going to complete the job. He’ll not leave us all wet. He’ll dry our feet. He’ll see us through (Php_1:6).

John 13:6

The washing of feet being the job of a slave, Peter couldn’t understand why Jesus would do this. Yet instead of saying, “Peter, this is a beautiful type or model of Philippians 2, " Jesus simply said, “Peter, you’re not going to understand what I’m doing nowbut later you will.” Did Peter? Yes, for in 1Pe_5:5, it’s as if he draws upon this very scene as a picture of humility. Is the Lord speaking to you right now about some area of obediencesome challenge, some adjustment in your lifebut you’re saying, “I’m not going to do it until I can see how it’s going to work out”? Husband, are you saying, “I’m not going to stay with her until I see a change in her attitude”? Wife, are you saying, “I’m not going to submit to him until he proves himself”? Teenager, are you saying, “I’m not going to obey them until they make sense”? That’s backward. Revelation follows obedience.

John 13:9

“You don’t need a bath, Peter. You’re already clean. You see, it’s just your feet that need washing.” This speaks of communion with Jesus on a daily basis. If I walk in pollution and don’t allow cleansing to take place in my life, I will experience a separation from Him. “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me,” declares the psalmist (Psa_66:18). It’s not about losing salvationit’s about losing intimacy. In Exodus 30, we see the Old Testament illustration of this New Testament principle… When a priest was first called, he was washed from head to toe in a ceremonial bathing equivalent to our baptism. From that point on, although he never again needed a head-to-toe cleansing, before entering the tabernacle, he would wash his hands and feet in the laver that stood in the tabernacle courtyard. Otherwise, although he would still be a priest, although he would still be a son of Aaron, he wouldn’t be allowed access to the Tabernacle and would therefore be hindered in his ability to minister and receive blessing. So, too, as the priests needed a continual cleansing of their hands and feet, we need a continual cleansing of our hearts through confession (1Jn_1:9). The word translated “confess” in Scripture is homologeo, or, “speak the same.” Confession is not promising never to sin again, but rather saying, “Father, Your Word is right. That’s sin, and I confess it as such. Have mercy upon me. Lord, deal with me.” Considering the fact that the blood of Jesus has already been shed and that the work of the Cross is fully completed, why is confession so important? I suggest three reasons… Appreciation of the Cross Confessing my sin ten, fifteen, or even thirty times a day causes me to appreciate what Jesus did for me all the more. I look at myself as the chief of sinners and say, “Wow, Lord. I’ve had to confess fifty things todayjust today. How I appreciate Your love. How I appreciate the work You did for me in paying the price for each of my sins individually.” Gang, true confession and trivial Christianity are mutually exclusive because when we really see our sin, we can’t help but marvel at the immensity of God’s love. Realization of Grace If you’re not a confessor, you can start to think, I can see why I’m being blessed. It makes sense because when the Lord chose me, He made a wise choice. But when you’re in a mode of continual confession, those kinds of thoughts never enter your mind. Instead, you say, “Lord, it’s only because of your mercies that I am not consumed” (Lam_3:22). Liberation from the Enemy Unconfessed sin in any area provides the bricks with which the enemy builds a “stronghold” (2Co_10:4) from which he manipulates you over and over again in that area until that particular sin becomes an addiction, a habit, a part of your life to be used at will by him. “How did I get here?” we ask. “How did I get so entangled? How did I get caught up in this attitude or that sin?” The answer can be found at the point where we began to say, “I don’t need to confess"for it is then that the Enemy starts building his stronghold. “If you don’t let Me wash your feet, I have no part with you,” Jesus said. “You don’t need to be baptized again. You don’t need to be saved again. You don’t need a bath, Peter. You just need your feet washed.” And so do we.

John 13:12

“Do you understand the example I have set for you?” Jesus asks His disciplesfor it would only be in understanding what He had done for them that they would be able to do the same for others.

John 13:13

In the Gospels, the disciples call Jesus “Lord” and “Master,” but never “Jesus.” When describing Him, the Gospel writers were inspired by the Holy Spirit to write “Jesus"but in addressing Him, it is always as “Lord” or “Master.” Am I suggesting we should not call the Lord “Jesus”? No, because as in the Book of Acts, these same apostles refer to Him as Jesus because, having been born again after Jesus died for them, rose again, and set His Holy Spirit within them, they are now the bride of Christ. The relationship has changed. Therefore, I personally feel at perfect liberty to call my Lord and Master Jesus because I, too, am His bride. “Master,” or didaskalos, refers to a teachera fitting title for the One who is the Truth (Joh_14:6).

John 13:15

Why humble myself and wash feet? Because after humiliation comes exaltation (Php_2:8-9). Tired of being in the pits? Want to be lifted up to a higher plane? Want to experience joy on a level you’ve never known before and happiness in a dimension you’ve never understood? The key is humility. Just as the branch that bears the most fruit bows the lowest, the one who’s really fruitful in the things of Jesus Christ will bow the lowest to serve others.

John 13:17

Either Jesus is telling the truth when He says we’ll be happy if we follow His example and love as He loved, or He is lying. I have found Jesus to be true in everything He’s ever saidabsolutely, completely, totally true. And here He’s saying the way to happiness lies not in agreeing with what He’s told us to do, not in taking notes on what He’s told us to do, but in doing what He’s told us to do. Next time you feel depressed or distressed, discouraged or despondent; next time you feel like throwing in the towel, do what Jesus did instead. Grab the towel, find some dirty feet to wash, and experience the happiness He promised. Washing Feet A Topical Study of Joh_13:1-17 “What the world needs now is love, sweet love. It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of.” Written by Burt Bacharach, it was a song destined to become a top-seller because it struck a chord in my generation. “All you need is love,” sang the Beatles. And we answered, “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Not only my generationbut in every generation there is a craving for the reality of love. Jesus Christ addressed this issue radically. In John 13-16, He reaffirms to His disciples that the key commodity, the key component of Christianity is love. As He calls His boys together only hours away from the Cross, the commandment He gives them is not a commandment to be more zealous, more dedicated, or more committed.

The commandment He stresses so emphatically is that they love one another, for by this, He would say, all men would truly know they were His disciples (Joh_13:35). Before He gives this teaching to them, however, Jesus sets the stage by being an example for them as He washes their feet. And in the example He sets for His disciples, I see four key factors I believe will help you and me to carry out the commandment to love one another. The Freedom to Love Even as they’re arguing, even as Judas is preparing to betray Him, even as the hour is heavy, Jesus has perfect liberty to love. Why? Because He knew He came from God (verse Joh_13:3). If you are still struggling with mistakes you made last week or last month or last year, you will not be free to love. If you are still working through your past, living in your past, haunted by your past, you will not be able to love in the present because the more you try to love someone, the more Satan will whisper in your ear, “You’re a hypocrite.” We are told in Revelation 12 that Satan is the accuser of the brethren. How does he accuse us? He accuses us by constantly replaying our past failures and inconsistencies to the point where we feel unqualified to do anything but wallow in defeat. But the good news is that, if you’re a believer, the blood of Jesus has washed away all of your failures and sin. Every sin you’ve ever committed is not only forgiven, but also forgotten (Heb_8:12). I am absolutely at peace with my past not because of my perfectionnot by a long shotbut because of my position in Jesus Christ and in what He did for me at Calvary (Romans 5). Not only did Jesus know He came from God, but He also knew He was going to God (verse Rom_5:3). If you’re always concerned about how the stock market’s going, or if the relationship will surviveif you’re living in the future, you’ll miss the opportunity to love in the present. If my past is taken care of by the blood of Calvary and my future is in heaven, I am free to love in the present. That’s why Paul said that of the three great virtues, the greatest is love (1Co_13:13). It takes faith for the past and hope for the future to allow men to love in the present. Faith makes all things possible. Hope makes all things inevitable. But love makes all things enjoyable. Knowing from whence He came, knowing where He was going, Jesus was free to love. The Cost of Love Sitting at dinner, Jesus was suddenly aware that His disciples needed their feet washed. And in choosing to wash them, His meal was interrupted. So, too, if you are going to be one who loves people, count on interruptions. There you’ll be with a bag of popcorn in your hand and the 49ers on TV when suddenly there will be a knock on your door or a ring of your phone. If you’re going to be one who loves, it means you’ll have to be willing to be interrupted. Notice not only interruptions, but also involvement.

Jesus didn’t stand up and say, “There’s a strange odor in here. I now want to tell you guys why you should wash your feet before you eat. Peter, you big heel, don’t you see your foot is cruddy? James, your sole is dirty.” No, Jesus didn’t give a lecture on dirty feet. He simply got down on His hands and knees and washed them. If you are not willing to wash feet, then keep your mouth closed when you see dirt. When I see dirt, I can either talk about the dirt, which then is called judgingor I can involve myself in that person’s life by tending the situation on my knees in humility through intercession. Jesus chose the latter. He didn’t simply point out the dirt on the feet of His disciples. He did something about it. A Model for Love Jesus’ act was unannounced. He didn’t stand up and say, “Disciples, you will now see love in action. Watch Me. Take notes. A few photos will be allowed.” No, He just quietly got up and washed feet. It was not something He announced. It was not something all of Jerusalem could see. He just quietly took care of the situation. “Well, that would be easy,” you say, “if I had the opportunity to minister to guys like the disciples.” Really? Have you ever been around a political rabble-rouser? That was Simon the Zealot. How about someone so shy that not a single word of his is ever recorded? That was James the Less. How about one who was skeptical of you? That was Nathanael. One who would deny you? That was Peter. How about one who would stab you in the back like Judas? Go from man to man in the group, and you’ll see they’re people just like the folks around you every single day. Yet Jesus, in a beautiful, humble way, loved these guys who were not very lovable. This gives me great hope because I’m not very lovable either. And it gives me great comfort to realize that the Lord loves me not because I’m lovable, but because He is Love. The Difficulties with Love Jesus wants to wash Peter’s feet, but what happens? Peter protests, saying, “You’re not going to wash any part of me.” When Jesus corrected him, he said, “Wash all of me.” But that wasn’t right either. You see, in addition to the pride of independence, there’s a problem of overdependence. Some people essentially say to us, “If you don’t help me every day in every way, you’re not a good Christian.” Such people expect much from us and lay demands on us. They seek to exploit and manipulate us to get more than what they need. Therefore, sometimes the loving thing to do is to say, “I’m not the Lord in your life. I can’t be the solution to your problem. I can help you. I can wash your feet. But you don’t need a bath.” What’s the solution? Simply to say to people, “I’ll go with what I believe the Lord is showing me in my heart. I’ll respond according to His leading, but not according to your demanding.” Gang, the Lord’s burden is easy, and His load light (Mat_11:30). Therefore, to any who would overload or overburden you, sometimes you gotta learn to say no. Practically In our culture, not everyone wears sandals or goes barefoot. And even if they did, the roads aren’t dusty or muddyso this passage might not mean washing feet. You’re washing your car in the front yard. Maybe it’s old and cruddy and doesn’t run very well. Instead of complaining about itwhy not extend your hose a bit and wash your neighbor’s car? Or maybe it means washing your neighbor’s windows while he’s on vacation. It might mean washing diapers in the nurseryor washing the dishes without being asked. “That sounds good,” you say, “but I’m going through such hard times right now that I’m not in a position to wash anything.” Really? At any given point, at every single point in our lives, we live by “basin theology.” That is, we either call for the basin, like Pontius Pilate did (Mat_27:24) and wash our hands of everything we know to be true of ministry and serviceor we take up the basin and wash someone’s feet in humility and love. At the very time Jesus was going through a time of intensity we will never understand this side of eternity, He didn’t wash His hands of those who would deny and betray Him. He washed their feet. Theologically Positionally, we are the very righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2Co_5:21). But as we walk through the world, there is a need for the cleansing of fellowship that takes place in the confession of sin. We’re born again. We’re believers. We’re going to heavenbut we still have failings. We still have shortcomings. And we need to be washed continually. How? 1Jn_1:9 says if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We need to live in the place of continual confession in order to appropriate the finished work of Calvary and to eliminate Satan’s toehold in our lives. Mystically So often, people come to me, saying, “I was baptized six years ago. But since then, I’ve gone through a period of backsliding. Should I be baptized again?” “No,” I say. “But there is something else available to you…” You see, in my understanding, the washing of feet is a mini-baptism for those who say, “I know I didn’t lose my salvation, but I’ve been walking in pollution and defilement. I just want to do something tangibly and outwardly to express what I’m feeling inwardlythat I’m back in fellowship with the Lord.” And as others humble themselves to wash their feet and pray for them, to give a word of prophecy or encouragement to them, there’s a unique, undeniable dynamic that takes place. It’s not enough just to hear a Bible study and agree with it intellectually. We must not simply be a community where we affirm our beliefs. We must be a place where we encounter God. How? We can partake of the body and blood of Jesus Christ in Communion, take a stand in baptism, and make confession through the washing of feet.

John 13:18

Explaining that there was one in their midst who needed more than just his feet washed, Jesus quotes Psa_41:9, where the reference is to David’s betrayal by a man named Ahithophel. You recall the story. When David’s son, Absalom, launched a rebellion against him, Ahithophel, David’s key advisor, defected and joined Absalom. “He who ate bread with methe guy who sat at my table, the one who shared with mehas kicked me,” a crushed David lamented. What happened to David, though, was simply a picture of what would happen to the Son of David, Jesus Christ, as Jesus would be betrayed by one who ate bread with Him, one who traveled alongside of Him, one who had his feet washed by Him. And Ahithophel was a picture of what would happen to Judas, for, like Judas, he too eventually hanged himself because of guilt (2Sa_17:23). There is another who was guilty of betrayal. Peter denied Jesus, but he didn’t end up hanging from the limb of a tree because he looked to the One who hung on the tree of Calvary in his place. Every one of us has a choice to make, for you and I are Peter, Judas, and Ahithophel. We have all sinned. The only question is, are we going to get hung up and say, “I’m going to end it all"or are we going to look to Him who hung on the tree and say, “Thank You for dying in my place”?

John 13:20

“Don’t be blown away by what’s about to happen,” says Jesus. “I’m sending you out that others might hear about and receive Me.”

John 13:21

Each disciple suspected himself before he ever suspected Judas (Mat_26:22).

John 13:23

As was customary, the disciples were reclining around a U-shaped table, propping themselves up on one arm while eating with the other. As Karl Barththe father of neo-Orthodoxy, a prolific writer, a man of great intellectgot older, his faith got simpler, and I believe, deeper. Toward the end of his life, he was asked to state the most profound truth he knew. He replied by repeating the words of a well-known child’s song, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” The more I know Jesus, the more I love Him. But the more I know me, the more amazed I am that Jesus loves me. I believe it’s in this spirit of amazement that John refers to himself as the disciple Jesus loved.

John 13:24

Whatever your question, the best place to get it answered is at the breast of Jesus Christ. “That may sound good poetically,” you say, “but how does it translate practically?” I believe you are nearest His heart when you’re at His table. That’s where John was. I know of no finer place to feel the love of Jesus Christ and to experience oneness with Him than at the table of Communion. I have found I hear the heart of the Lord at His table in a way I do nowhere else.

John 13:26

John being seated to the right of Jesus, Judas was seated to His leftthe customary place of honor. So amazing is Jesus that even at the very end, He showed His love for Judas by giving him a place of honor at His table, still offering Judas opportunity to come to Him. Even though Jesus identified Judas with the sopa piece of bread dipped in saucethe other disciples still didn’t realize the one who would betray Him was Judas. Why? Perhaps they didn’t hear Jesus speak this word to John. Or perhaps they couldn’t put it together, for, evidently, Judas, their treasurer, was the last one they suspected.

John 13:28

The rest of the disciples thought Jesus was merely sending Judas on an errand.

John 13:30

It was night when Judas left to betray Jesus. And Judas’ soul would itself become increasingly darker.

John 13:31

Even though it was dark, Jesus said to His disciples, “This is the hour of glory. I’m going to be leaving, and where I’m going, you can’t come now. So in the meantime, I’m giving you a new commandment to love one another.” A new commandment? Doesn’t it say way back in Leviticus that we are to love God and that we are to love our neighbor? Isn’t that the message, really, of the Scriptures in their entirety? Hadn’t Jesus Himself said that upon these two commandmentsto love God and to love peoplehang all the aw and the prophets? What does He mean a new commandment? Look carefully at what Jesus is saying because it’s radical. Yes, the Old Testament is filled with commandments and exhortations to love. But Jesus here makes everything new when He says, “Love one another as I have loved you.” How did Jesus love them? How does Jesus love us? That’s what’s new. Paul tells us how He loves us when he writes, “Husbands love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it” (Eph_5:25). The newness, the unfolding, the fullness of this new commandment is that we are to love in a way that costs us your lifenot just loving generally, but loving sacrificially to the place of death. You see, biblically there is never true reconciliation apart from someone or something dying. In the Old Testament, reconciliation was impossible without the sacrifice of an animal. In the New Testament, we see Old Testament typology become reality with the death of the innocent Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. There will never be true reconciliation between you and the person with whom you’re angry or from whom you’re estranged until you say, “I’m not going to grind my ax any longer. I’m not going to press my point any further.

I’m not going to prove I’m right anymore. I’m just going to die.” The question is, will you? “But I’m innocent,” you say. So was Jesus. “But I’m right.” Wasn’t He? The commandment He gave us is to dieto our pride, our complaints, our position, our proof. “What if I die?” you ask. “Does laying down my life and giving up my rights guarantee reconciliation?” Was everyone reconciled to Jesus? No. Not everyone is born again. Not everyone says, “Thank You, Lord, for laying down Your life for me.” When you love like Jesus, some will respond and there will be reconciliation. Others, however, will continue to spit and curse and mockeven as they did to Jesus as He was in the very act of dying for their sins. But if we are to love as Jesus loved, like Him, we’ll pray, “Father, forgive them. They just don’t know what they’re doing.” “By this kind of love shall all men know you are My disciples,” said Jesus, “when you love like I dowhen you love to the point of death.”

John 13:36

Peter wanted to get back to Jesus’ earlier statement in which He said He was going somewhere no one else could come (verse Joh_13:33).

John 13:37

“You can count on me, Lord,” insisted Peter. “I’ll die for You if necessary.”

John 13:38

“Peter I know what you’re about to go through,” said Jesus. “I know the failure that will haunt you. But read ahead to chapter 14. Let not your heart be troubled, Peter. Why? You’re going to heaven!”