1 - John 13:1-11 - DEMONSTRATING HUMBLE SERVICE
INTRODUCTION: Today we begin a new quarter covering the second half of the gospel of John, comprising Chapters 13-21. The final nine chapters in this gospel deal with the final week of Jesus' life, as He prepares His disciples for His coming death and for their ministry after His resurrection and ascension. Today's lesson in John 13:1-11 begins the 'personal' stage of the gospel, as Jesus meets with His disciples to share a Passover meal. As often seen in John's gospel, he skips details reported in the synoptic gospels and adds facts unique to his account. In our text we'll see Jesus perform the task of a lowly servant-the washing of other's feet. As Jesus performs this task, He tells his disciples that the real meaning of this humble undertaking will make more sense to them later. As we'll see, Peter, true to form, is offended by the idea that his master would lower himself to act like a mere slave; but Jesus informs him that this "washing" is necessary for all those who follow Him. As we follow Jesus' teaching, we learn that a 'full body washing," a metaphor for salvation by grace-only needs to happen once, whereas, 'foot washing'-a metaphor for sanctification (becoming more and more Christ-like)-needs to be applied over and over. The main point that Jesus makes is that those who claim the name of Jesus must follow His example of humility and service to others: If Jesus humbles Himself to serve others, then those who claim to follow him must do likewise.
Read John 13:1 - INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF GLORY
1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus, knowing that His hour had come that He would dpart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.
Note: Bible scholars often refer to John 13-20 as the Book of Glory, because it is in these chapters that Jesus' glory is fully revealed by His death, resurrection, and ascension.
v. 1a: "Now before the Feast of the Passover" - There is some scholarly debate whether this meal was the same one as "Last Supper" reported in the synoptics (Matt. 26; Mark 14; Luke 22); however, that argument has no bearing on our lesson today.
v. 1b: "Jesus, knowing that His hour had come that He would depart from this world to the Father," - Until now we've been told repeatedly that Jesus' "hour" has not yet come, but now we learn that "His hour" has come at last. Jesus' "hour" is the time for His glorification, which in this gospel signifies His death, resurrection, and ascension.
v. 1c: "having loved His own who were in the world," - The term "world" (Gk. kosmos) is repeated 41 times in this gospel, in most cases negatively. John 3:16 says that God sent His only son to save the world, but that the people of the world loved the darkness rather than the light and rejected Him. And finally, while Jesus' disciples are of the world, Jesus Himself is not of this world (John 8:23).
v. 1d: "He loved them to the end." - While God loved the world and sent His Son to save the world, here He loved "them," namely, His disciples, and loved them "to the end,"-until the end of his life on earth.
Read John 13:2-3 - HE WAS GOING BACK TO GOD
2 And during supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had handed all things over to Him, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God,
v. 2: "And during supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him," - The devil himself has by this time has put a scheme in Judas' heart to betray Jesus. Even so, the fact that the devil chose to tempt Judas in no way relieves Judas of responsibility for his betrayal. The devil tempts us daily but accomplishes nothing without our cooperation.
v. 3a: "Jesus, knowing that the Father had handed all things over to Him," - That God had "handed all things over to Him" establishes that Jesus is in complete control of events and is aware that he's moving toward the cross to accomplish God's plan. He has been trying to prepare his disciples for this event for quite some time. We must remember that the cross will not represent defeat for Jesus but victory. It is the place where He will accomplish the work for which He has come into the world. It is where His glorification will begin.
v. 3b: "and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God," - Earlier in his gospel, John reported that "the word became flesh and lived among us" (1:14). Jesus came into this world from God for a purpose, and once this purpose has been fulfilled, He will return to God (Phil. 2:5-11).
Read John 13:4-5 - THE FOOT WASHING
4 *got up from supper and *laid His outer garments aside; and He took a towel and tied it around Himself. 5 Then He *poured water into the basin, and began washing the disciples' feet and wiping them with the towel which He had tied around Himself. 6 So He *came to Simon Peter. He *said to Him, "Lord, You are washing my feet?"
v. 4: "got up from supper and *laid His outer garments aside; and He took a towel and tied it around Himself." - By now, the meal has started. Typically, foot washing takes place at the time when guests arrive, but Jesus waits until the meal is in progress in order to intensify the drama of what He is doing. Taking off his outer robe, He would be clothed only in a loincloth. And when he ties a towel around Himself, he is dressing in the garb of a slave getting prepared to render a service. Given the posture of people reclining at low tables in those days with their feet hanging behind them, their dirty, calloused feet would have been easily within reach of Jesus.
v. 5: "Then He *poured water into the basin, and began washing the disciples' feet and wiping them with the towel which He had tied around Himself." - Washing the feet of another person is considered to be such a degrading task that only slaves or women (sorry ladies!) are expected to do it. Disciples, out of deference, might wash their rabbi's feet, but are not required to do it. And foot washing would be a gracious act of hospitality for an arriving guest, but it would never be rendered by their host himself.
Read John 13:6-10a - THE REACTION OF PETER
6 So He *came to Simon Peter. He *said to Him, "Lord, You are washing my feet?" 7 Jesus answered and said to him, "What I am doing, you do not realize right now, but you will understand later." 8 Peter *said to Him, "Never shall You wash my feet!" Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no place with Me." 9 Simon Peter *said to Him, "Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head!" 10a Jesus *said to him, "He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet; otherwise he is completely clean.
v. 6: "So He *came to Simon Peter. He *said to Him, "Lord, You are washing my feet?" - As usual, Peter abruptly becomes the spokesman for what must be on the mind of every disciple, who are probably embarrassed at this turn of events. His question suggests indignation, a maybe a challenge something like, "You don't plan to actually wash my feet, do you?
v. 7: "Jesus answered and said to him, "What I am doing, you do not realize right now, but you will understand later." - Many lessons that Jesus taught His disciples were presented long before they could be properly understood. In some instances, like this one, these disciples needed to see how Jesus' role as Messiah will be fulfilled on the cross in order to put together all the pieces. It's easier for us because we have all the information contained in the NT.
v. 8a: "Peter *said to Him, "Never shall You wash my feet!" - Peter's original challenge in v. 6 becomes even more obstinate in this verse: He sharply implies that he is in no way worthy to have Jesus wash his feet. He won't allow it! This should remind us of Matt. 16, where Peter declared, on one hand that "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God," but on the other hand, when Jesus informed His disciples that He must suffer and die, Peter rebuked Him and said "God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You!" (Matt. 16:16-22). So, Peter is unbendingly headstrong. Only after the resurrection will he step into the role of real servant leadership.
v. 8b: "Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no place with Me." - Jesus responds single-mindedly to Peter's refusal-unless he allows Jesus to wash him, he will "have no place" with Him. Basically, Jesus is warning Peter that he's running the risk of losing his eternal inheritance if he refuses to allow Jesus wash his feet. It should be clear to Peter by now that something more is going on here other than simple foot washing. Jesus is giving his disciples an unexpected example of humble service-a kind of service He expects them to render to one another.
v. 9: "Simon Peter *said to Him, "Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head!" - In his usual 'over the top' way, Peter overreacts in the opposite direction: if being washed by Jesus is crucial to his relationship with Him, Peter now asks Him to wash him from head to toe! Of course this shows that Peter does not completely 'get it.' He cannot yet fathom the events that are forthcoming. But before we judge Peter, we must admit that any one of us in his shoes would have similarly confused at the time. It will not be until after the resurrection that the light of comprehension will fully dawn on Peter (and the others). In this way, Peter forms an object lesson that could be any one of us. Yes?
v. 10a: Jesus *said to him, "He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet; otherwise he is completely clean." - This is clearer: If person has bathed (Gk. louō), but then walks through the dusty street to get to his destination, he doesn't need another bath; it's enough for him to have his feet washed (Gk. niptō)-i.e., he does not need salvation, which occurs only once, buts needs only sanctification, a lifelong continuing action, to be clean.
Read John 13:10b-11 - NOT ALL OF YOU ARE CLEAN
10b And you are clean-but not all of you." 11 For He knew the one who was betraying Him; it was for this reason that He said, "Not all of you are clean."
v. 10b: "And you are clean-but not all of you." - The first "you" is plural and the second is singular-meaning that all of his disciples are now "clean," except one, an allusion to Judas Iscariot. To translate, those who are once-and-for-all washed don't need to be entirely cleansed again. That is, they have no need to be re-saved but only need they need to wash the incidental dirt/sin from their daily walk with Him. This tells us that our fellowship with Christ is degraded by un-confessed sin in our lives, and those who are "clean" are those who've experienced spiritual cleansing.
v. 11: "For He knew the one who was betraying Him; it was for this reason that He said, "Not all of you are clean." - Jesus, who is omniscient, knows that Judas will betray Him but chooses not to expose him, at least at this time. Scholars believe that Jesus most likely washed Judas' feet along with the other eleven disciples. Later, Jesus will raise the issue of betrayal and give Judas a piece of bread to signify that he is the betrayer (13:26).
APPLICATION-Love, Humility, and Cleansing:
1. Jesus' love, which none of us deserve, should be the most important reality in our lives. John emphasizes through repetition Jesus' love for His own (v. 1): "Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come 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." That last phrase seems to be deliberately ambiguous, because it can mean that Jesus loved the disciples up to the end of His life or it can mean that Jesus loved them totally or to the uttermost, and both are certainly true.
2. Jesus' example of humble service should be an essential reality in our lives. Sometimes actions speak louder than words. Jesus' actions here show us both how He loved us when we were unworthy of that love and how we can love others who may not be worthy of it. Verses 3-5 paint the picture like this: To understand this incident, you need to know that washing someone's feet was the task for the lowest servants. Friends did not wash their friends' feet. And so the disciples would have been shocked to have their Teacher and Lord wash their feet! Apparently, they were so shocked that they sat in stunned silence, until Jesus came to Peter. He probably verbalized the thoughts that the others had been afraid to say when he protested (v. 8): "Never shall You wash my feet!" But as Jesus will go on to explain that He did this to give us an example of how we should humbly serve one another. This humility has at least two practical aspects:
(a) Christ-like Humility recognizes that no task is beneath us to do for Christ's sake. We should never allow ourselves to think that certain tasks are somehow beneath our dignity or calling. We need to remember the example of Christ, who willingly took on the form of a servant and went to the cross for our sakes. Many disagreements in the church and in our homes would evaporate if we would, with humility of mind, regard the other person as more important than ourselves!
(b) Christ-like humility requires you to get your focus off your rights and your needs and instead, focus on the needs of others. As the eternal Son of God to whom the Father had given all things into His hands, who had come forth from God and was going back to God (John 13:3), Jesus certainly had the right for the disciples to wash His feet. I'm sure that His feet were as dirty as theirs. But He wasn't focused on His needs or His rights, but rather on their needs. They not only needed their dirty feet washed, but they also needed this lesson in humble service. Again, how many quarrels at church and in our homes would stop before they started if we would take our eyes off ourselves, our rights, and our needs, and instead think about the other person's needs!
3. Jesus' cleansing of your sins should be a reality in your life. This connects with the first point. The undeserved love of Christ should be a major reality in your life. His example of humble service should be true in your own life experience. But foundational to everything else is your need to have Jesus wash away your sins. The deeper meaning of this truth is that there is no place in Christ's fellowship for those who have not been cleansed by his atoning death on the cross. Sadly, many people today would like to be Christians but see no need of the cross. They are ready to admire Jesus' life and to praise the wisdom of his moral teaching, but they cannot bring themselves to believe that Christ died for their sins and accept that unless they believe, they are lost in their sins.
ENDNOTE: So ask yourself three important questions: (1) Do I consistently experience Christ's undeserved love? If not, you need to figure out why not and get that problem resolved. (2) Do I consistently follow Christ's example of humble service? If not, jot down some specific ways that you can begin doing it this week. (3) Do I consistently come to Christ for cleansing from my sins that come from the crud of this dirty world? If not, He's waiting with the basin and the water of His Word to wash your feet!
