By Diane Barstow
JOHN 13:1-17 “Now before the feast of the Passover, Jesus
knowing that His hour had come and that he would depart out of this world
to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to
the end.
During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas
Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him. Jesus, knowing that the Father
had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God
and was going back to God,
Got up from supper and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He
girded Himself.
Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet
and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.
So He came to Simon Peter, he said to Him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?”
Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you
will understand hereafter.”
Peter said to Him, “Never shall you wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If
I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”
Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my
hands and my head.”
Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is
completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.”
For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason, He said, not
all of you are clean.
So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at
the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?
You call me teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am.
If I then, the Lord and the teacher, wash your feet, you also ought to wash
one another's feet.
For I gave you an example that you should also do as I did to you.
Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is
the one who is sent greater than the one who sent Him.
If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.”
Let’s put this discourse in context of Jesus’ last evening with His disciples. His feet and head been anointed with oil, as He said in preparation for His burial. He had finished His teaching at the Temple with a dazzling supernatural voice from heaven found in John 12:27ff.
He had sent Peter and John ahead to find and prepare the room for their meal according to Luke 22. Judas had made his ‘deal with the devil,’ (the Pharisees) to betray Jesus into their hands. The stage was set for the greatest sermon ever spoken and for this High Priestly prayer. John’s is the only gospel in which this scene is recorded, we should see it as a small vignette in a multi-act play.
Verses 1-3
The first thing I noticed about this portion of the story is the word ‘knowing’ makes a couple of appearances.
This verb is in the present pluperfect tense which is used for a completed activity in the past. It emphasizes that an action was completed before another action took place. Jesus knew these things before He did these things in the past as John recounts.
So, what does John say in this chapter that Jesus knew?
That His hour had finally come. John 17:1, “Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You.’” {More on this from Jane, 11/5} Mark 14:41-42, “And He came the third time, and said to them, ‘Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough; the hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand.’” (Not yet His hour) John 2:4, John 7:30, John 8:20)
IT’S GO TIME!
That He would depart out of this world
That He had come FROM the Father
That He would return TO the Father
That Satan had already put into the heart of Judas to betray Him (Jesus
echoes John’s commentary in verse 11)
That the Father had given all things into HIs hands - IT’S ON YOU NOW!
Most importantly, John characterizes Jesus’ motivation as love (agapao) both in the past and until the end!
Verses 4-5
What action(s) did this knowledge inspire??
He got up from supper
He laid aside His outer garments
He wrapped Himself in a towel
He poured water into a basin
He began to wash the disciples’ feet
How important was it in those days AS A HOST to furnish foot-washing for your guests? That was the job of the lowest slave or youngest child. You will recall in Luke 7:36-50 Jesus upbraids Simon for not providing even this minimum hospitality! So that JESUS did this, for them, was a HUGE object lesson. According to verse 7, He knew they wouldn’t understand now but would later (I surmise after they were born again, and filled with the Spirit!)
Each step is recorded, so each step must bear some significance, right? While Jesus understood what was happening, the fellas did not, so He had to give them a physical object lesson.
In the same manner as He had laid aside His glory in heaven to take on human flesh, so He ‘reenacted’ that humbling as He stripped off His garments (glory) and girded Himself with a towel (flesh) and knelt down to serve, supplying the water for the washing the disciples’ feet (with the water of the Word) and drying them off - IT IS FINISHED!
Ephesians 5:26,“So that he might sanctify her, having
cleansed her by the washing of water with the word.”
“Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus, Who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bondservant and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8)
“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)
Show them practically what this looks like - call Bev forward and actually wash her feet!
Verses 6-10 (Impetuous, impertinent, inconsistent Peter!!)
John doesn’t specify the order in which Jesus washed the disciples’ feet, but he does record the exchange between Jesus and Peter! Two different words are used in this section, the first is the washing of a specific body part (ex feet) the second is bathed (all over). When Jesus gets to him, Peter emphatically rejects having HIS feet washed, saying double-negatively no never shall You wash my feet! Jesus answers hyperbole with hyperbole - Bro, if I don’t wash your feet, you have no fellowship (koinonia) with Me! Peter responds with “Then wash me all over!” Jesus says you don’t need washed, you’re already clean, only your feet are dirty! Clean - (having been bathed)
“For by one offering, He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.” (Hebrews 10:14)
“But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, he entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:11-14)
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. “ (1 John 1:9)
Having our feet cleaned! We have been cleansed, given right standing, and relationship with God through the blood of Christ.
Washing their feet! What was the point? 3 reasons He washed their feet.
Harmony - previously they had been arguing about who was the greatest. He knew once He was gone, they would need each other.It was symbolic of purifying our ‘walk’ of life in Christ.
Finally - Jesus said it's so you have an example to follow! Is this areligious ritualwe need to repeat? No? Well then how can we ‘wash each other’s feet’? Just the same way Jesus did - by speaking the Word! Quoting scripture, by praying for each other according to God’s perfect will as revealed in scripture, by gently correcting misconstrued or misunderstood verses or doctrine.
Verse 11 - though not all of you! Here’s your proof text
that JESUS WASHED JUDAS’ feet with all the rest - and he still betrayed the
Lord, that’s diabolical deception.
Verse 12 Now Jesus does another thing, having completed
His exemplary action, He puts His garments back on and SITS DOWN! Again
indicating that He is finished, and I believe speaking prophetically of His
being seated on the throne in heaven! He proceeds to ask them a question, a
question for which He already knew the answer - do you understand what I
have done for you? He already told Peter that he didn’t understand yet -
but someday will.
Verses 13-15 You call me teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the teacher, wash your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I gave you an example that you should also do as I did to you. In my mind I hear Him saying, stop fighting each other, and serve one another. You’re going to need each other when I’m gone! Follow My example! Now that you know, you’ll be happy if you do it!
Who called Jesus Lord, and who called Him teacher/Rabbi? Most of His disciples called Him Lord (and master), but the Pharisees, Scribes, and most notably Judas called Him teacher/Rabbi. This word has a range of respect attached to it from ‘honorable sir’ to how Jesus used it of Himself as ‘one who showed men the way of salvation!’
Verses 16-17 Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is the one who is sent greater than the one who sent Him. I modeled servant leadership for you, now you lead by example! James the brother of Jesus echoes this encouragement in
James 1:22-25,“But prove yourselves to be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.”
Don’t be hearers only, but doers of the Word.