Bible Reading
Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet
13 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” 9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” 10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean. 12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
Jesus Predicts His Betrayal
18 “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.’ 19 “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am. 20 Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.” 21 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.” 22 His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. 23 One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. 24 Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.” 25 Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?” 26 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. 27 As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” 28 But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. 29 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. 30 As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial
31 When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once. 33 “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come. 34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” 36 Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.” 37 Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” 38 Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!
13 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” 9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” 10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean. 12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
Jesus Predicts His Betrayal
18 “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.’ 19 “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am. 20 Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.” 21 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.” 22 His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. 23 One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. 24 Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.” 25 Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?” 26 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. 27 As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” 28 But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. 29 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. 30 As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial
31 When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once. 33 “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come. 34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” 36 Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.” 37 Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” 38 Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!
Devotional
Jesus knew at this point that the time of His earthly ministry was quickly coming to an end. He would soon become the ultimate passover lamb and give His life for the sins of all humanity…but there were a few final lessons that needed to be given first. On the night before He would be arrested, Jesus and His disciples ate a meal famously known as the Last Supper. All four gospel accounts contain a record of this last supper, but John’s gospel has a different focus during those pivotal final hours before Judas would betray Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane.
It was during this final meal that Jesus got up and began to wash the feet of His disciples. We have the sense that when John wrote this account, many years after the fact he could still remember every detail - the longer time went on after these events, the disciples would have had increasing clarity as to the deep and profound meaning of the humble act which seemed crazy at the time. How could Jesus, soon after the triumphal entry, begin to do the job of the lowest servant in the household? At this critical moment, at this evening before the torture of the cross, Jesus did not think of Himself. He thought about His disciples. Truly, this was loving them to the end. After all, Jesus’ disciples treated Him badly and were about to treat Him even worse, forsaking Him, abandoning Him and denying they even knew Him; yet He loved them.
According to the Jewish laws and traditions regarding the relationship between a teacher and his disciples, a teacher had no right to demand or expect that his disciples (or students) would wash his feet. It was absolutely unthinkable that the Master or Rabbi would wash His disciple’s feet. Luke 22:23 records that the disciples entered the room debating who was greatest. By what He did, Jesus shifted the focus and illustrated true greatness. None of the disciples were interested in washing each other’s feet, but any of them would have gladly washed Jesus’ feet. But they could not wash His without having to be available to wash the others’ feet, and that would have been an intolerable admission of inferiority among their fellow competitors for the top position in the disciples’ hierarchy. So no one’s feet got washed….and everyone ate with dirty feet. What a picture this is of our society today, an urgent climb to the top of the power pyramid and a battle with our fellow man, instead of taking the time to serve and realize what true greatness and influence truly look like. In all of this, Jesus acted out a parable for the disciples instead of just telling a story. Jesus knew actions speak louder than words. So when He wanted to teach the proud, arguing disciples about true humility, He didn’t just say it – He showed it. He showed it in a way that illustrated His whole mission on behalf of His own. Peter would even harken back to this event when he wrote letters to the early Christian church. He instructed them to be “clothed with humility”. Another way of putting this would be to wrap an apron of humility around yourself, which is just what Jesus did. This event remained in Peter’s mind and heart just as it did with John.
Peter objected to what Jesus was doing. Perhaps Peter thought, “All these other disciples missed the point by letting Jesus wash their feet. He wants us to protest, and proclaim that He is too great, and we are too unworthy, to have Him wash our feet.” So, Peter made this dramatic statement. Peter clearly felt uncomfortable with having Jesus perform such a humble act of service for him. This example of the servant’s heart of Jesus made Peter and the others look proud by comparison. Jesus replied and told Peter that if He did not wash his followers (a nod to salvation), they would have no part with Him; Peter had to accept this from Jesus. Jesus became a pattern for the disciples as well as us. If we do not accept the humble service of Jesus to cleanse us, we will have no part with Him. This foot washing was a powerful lesson in humility but it was more than that. It also shows that Jesus has no fellowship and no deep connection with those who have not been cleansed by Him. We are grateful Jesus did not say, “If you do not have great holiness, you have no part with Me.” We are happy He did not say, “If you are not a Bible expert, you have no part with Me.” Having a part with Jesus begins simply with receiving something from Him, not achieving something ourselves.
Peter then requested to be fully washed. He was still reluctant to let Jesus do as He wanted. Peter wanted to tell Jesus what to do. A moment ago he told his Master He was doing too much; now he tells Him He is doing too little. Jesus – though the servant of all – still was and is God’s appointed leader. He would not allow Peter to dominate this situation and set things on a wrong course. In just a matter of moments, Jesus did battle against two of the most common enemies of Christian service: pride and control. Sometimes even today, we show a servant’s heart by accepting the service of others for us. If we only serve, and refuse to be served, it can be a sign of deeply rooted and well-hidden pride. Man’s humility does not begin with the giving of service; it begins with the readiness to receive it. It is only by having received it first we can truly recognize and walk out the loving, selfless service of Jesus.
Jesus closes this object lesson by explaining what He did and commanding His disciples to follow in His footsteps. Their greatness would only be achieved by becoming the greatest servant to the coming early church. Jesus didn’t tell them to only serve Him, but to also serve each other, something that went directly against the current theme of competing with each other for recognition. Let this lesson be for us today as it was two thousand years ago. It is easy for us to criticize and look down on those with dirty feet instead of washing them. Every day we need to choose to walk humbly and serve, just as Christ would serve.
It was during this final meal that Jesus got up and began to wash the feet of His disciples. We have the sense that when John wrote this account, many years after the fact he could still remember every detail - the longer time went on after these events, the disciples would have had increasing clarity as to the deep and profound meaning of the humble act which seemed crazy at the time. How could Jesus, soon after the triumphal entry, begin to do the job of the lowest servant in the household? At this critical moment, at this evening before the torture of the cross, Jesus did not think of Himself. He thought about His disciples. Truly, this was loving them to the end. After all, Jesus’ disciples treated Him badly and were about to treat Him even worse, forsaking Him, abandoning Him and denying they even knew Him; yet He loved them.
According to the Jewish laws and traditions regarding the relationship between a teacher and his disciples, a teacher had no right to demand or expect that his disciples (or students) would wash his feet. It was absolutely unthinkable that the Master or Rabbi would wash His disciple’s feet. Luke 22:23 records that the disciples entered the room debating who was greatest. By what He did, Jesus shifted the focus and illustrated true greatness. None of the disciples were interested in washing each other’s feet, but any of them would have gladly washed Jesus’ feet. But they could not wash His without having to be available to wash the others’ feet, and that would have been an intolerable admission of inferiority among their fellow competitors for the top position in the disciples’ hierarchy. So no one’s feet got washed….and everyone ate with dirty feet. What a picture this is of our society today, an urgent climb to the top of the power pyramid and a battle with our fellow man, instead of taking the time to serve and realize what true greatness and influence truly look like. In all of this, Jesus acted out a parable for the disciples instead of just telling a story. Jesus knew actions speak louder than words. So when He wanted to teach the proud, arguing disciples about true humility, He didn’t just say it – He showed it. He showed it in a way that illustrated His whole mission on behalf of His own. Peter would even harken back to this event when he wrote letters to the early Christian church. He instructed them to be “clothed with humility”. Another way of putting this would be to wrap an apron of humility around yourself, which is just what Jesus did. This event remained in Peter’s mind and heart just as it did with John.
Peter objected to what Jesus was doing. Perhaps Peter thought, “All these other disciples missed the point by letting Jesus wash their feet. He wants us to protest, and proclaim that He is too great, and we are too unworthy, to have Him wash our feet.” So, Peter made this dramatic statement. Peter clearly felt uncomfortable with having Jesus perform such a humble act of service for him. This example of the servant’s heart of Jesus made Peter and the others look proud by comparison. Jesus replied and told Peter that if He did not wash his followers (a nod to salvation), they would have no part with Him; Peter had to accept this from Jesus. Jesus became a pattern for the disciples as well as us. If we do not accept the humble service of Jesus to cleanse us, we will have no part with Him. This foot washing was a powerful lesson in humility but it was more than that. It also shows that Jesus has no fellowship and no deep connection with those who have not been cleansed by Him. We are grateful Jesus did not say, “If you do not have great holiness, you have no part with Me.” We are happy He did not say, “If you are not a Bible expert, you have no part with Me.” Having a part with Jesus begins simply with receiving something from Him, not achieving something ourselves.
Peter then requested to be fully washed. He was still reluctant to let Jesus do as He wanted. Peter wanted to tell Jesus what to do. A moment ago he told his Master He was doing too much; now he tells Him He is doing too little. Jesus – though the servant of all – still was and is God’s appointed leader. He would not allow Peter to dominate this situation and set things on a wrong course. In just a matter of moments, Jesus did battle against two of the most common enemies of Christian service: pride and control. Sometimes even today, we show a servant’s heart by accepting the service of others for us. If we only serve, and refuse to be served, it can be a sign of deeply rooted and well-hidden pride. Man’s humility does not begin with the giving of service; it begins with the readiness to receive it. It is only by having received it first we can truly recognize and walk out the loving, selfless service of Jesus.
Jesus closes this object lesson by explaining what He did and commanding His disciples to follow in His footsteps. Their greatness would only be achieved by becoming the greatest servant to the coming early church. Jesus didn’t tell them to only serve Him, but to also serve each other, something that went directly against the current theme of competing with each other for recognition. Let this lesson be for us today as it was two thousand years ago. It is easy for us to criticize and look down on those with dirty feet instead of washing them. Every day we need to choose to walk humbly and serve, just as Christ would serve.