John 13(01–30)

Verse 1

As we turn to John 13 today, we should note how John slows his pace in this, the second part of his gospel. What I mean is that the first eleven chapters of his gospel covered the whole of the Lord’s public ministry which was a period of about three years. And so, he went through those three years quickly and he obviously left out a lot of detail. But then, chapter 12 covers a period of time that is a little under a week. And then he takes five chapters to cover one evening when the Lord ate the Last Supper with his disciples and taught them. Chapters 18 and 19 cover only one day: Good Friday when the Lord was arrested, tried and crucified. And the final two chapters are about the Lord’s resurrection. And so, after covering three years in only eleven chapters, John takes another eleven chapters to cover a little over a week. The closer he gets to the Lord’s death and resurrection, the slower John’s pace of writing becomes and the more detailed he becomes. And in this way, he makes clear to us that his primary focus is the Lord’s death and resurrection and he wants us to ponder those two events most of all.

And if you turn to verse 1, you can see that John once again refers to the Passover. Verse 1 says that it was just before the Passover Feast. And so, once again John wants to make clear to us that the suffering and death of the Saviour occurred at the time of the Passover, because the Lord Jesus Christ is the true Passover lamb. In the original Passover, in the days of Moses, lambs were killed so that God’s wrath would pass over the homes of his people and the firstborn sons inside were spared. Instead of dying — which is what happened to the firstborn sons of the Egyptians — the Israelite sons were spared. And they were spared because lambs died in their place. And now, in the days of our Saviour, he was killed on the cross as the true lamb of God so that his people might be spared from the wrath of God and live for ever in the presence of God. He is the lamb of God who takes away our sin; and he is the lamb who died that we might live. And John makes that clear by highlighting for us that the Lord Jesus died during the Passover.

And in verse 1 John also tells us that the Lord knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. So, back at the beginning of the gospel, when he turned the water into wine, he told his mother that his time had not yet come. But now he knows that his time has come. It was now time for him to complete the work he had been sent to do and to return to his Father who sent him. Having done what he was sent to do, he could return to the Father who sent him and say to him that it was done. He had done everything he needed to do to fulfil his role as the Passover lamb who would die for the sins of his people.

And John tells us that having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. When John refers to his own, he means the Lord’s own people. And the Lord already displayed his love for them throughout his public ministry, because he went about doing good to them. He healed the sick and he cast out demons and he fed the hungry and he raised the dead. He did all of those things because of his overflowing love for his people. He wanted to take away their misery in this world and to point them to his true identity as the Son of God who has come down from heaven as God’s Spirit-Anointed and Conquering King to rescue his people from the sin and misery of this life and to bring us at last into that new and better world to come, where there is no more sorrow or suffering or disease or death or sin but only perfect holiness and perfect happiness for ever.

And having loved his own people during his public ministry, he now showed them the full extent of his love by laying down his life on the cross for our salvation. He shows us the full extent of his love by giving up his life so that all who believe may be spared from the wrath of God, which we deserve for all that we have done wrong. He showed us the full of extent of his love by taking the blame and suffering the penalty we deserve to make peace for us with God. The Lord displayed his abundant love for his people by dying for us on the cross. And the Lord also displayed his abundant love for his people by washing his disciples’ feet, because washing their feet anticipates the cross.

Verses 2 to 5

And John begins his account of the foot washing, by setting the scene for us. He tells us in verse 2 that the evening meal was being served. This is the Last Supper, which we read about in the other gospels, when the Lord instituted the Lord’s Supper by breaking bread and giving it to his disciples to eat and by handing them the cup of wine to drink. The other gospel writers record that part of the Last Supper, but John passes over those things and instead records for us how the Lord, that same night, washed their feet.

And John, who is setting the scene for us, also tells us in verse 2 that the devil had already prompted Judas to betray the Lord. More literally, the devil put it into Judas’s heart. Now, our hearts already contain all kinds of sinful desires and inclinations. Those sinful desires and inclinations are already lurking in our sinful hearts. But then, the devil comes at us and he also tempts us to do evil. And on this occasion the devil tempted Judas to betray the Lord Jesus. And because of Judas’s sinful heart, he was only too willing to comply.

And so, the Last Supper is underway and the devil has already tempted Judas. What else does John tell us in order to set the scene for us? He tells us in verse 3 that the Lord knew that the Father had put all things under his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God. This verse speaks to us of the Lord’s great dignity, because he has come from God the Father.

And he has come from God the Father in two senses. He has come from God the Father eternally, because he is the Father’s only begotten Son, who is begotten from the Father. Just as I have come from my father, and just as you have come from your father, so God the Son has come from his Father in heaven, except that he comes from his Father eternally. And then, he has come from God the Father in another sense, because his Father sent him into the world to be our Saviour. And once he has completed the work he was sent to do, he would be returning to God the Father to rule over all things as the great King over all.

And so, this verse speaks to us of the Lord’s great dignity as the only begotten Son of God the Father who was sent by the Father to save us. And it also speaks to us of his great power, because the Father has put all things under his power. There is nothing that is outside of his control.

And so, John sets the scene for what is about to happen by telling us that the Lord Jesus was fully aware of his great dignity and power. And normally, people who possess great dignity and power expect other people to serve them. Perhaps they have servants at home to look after them. Perhaps they have all kinds of employees when they go to work who are ready to do what they say. Normally people who possess great dignity and power expect other people to serve them. But what did the Lord Jesus do? John tells us that, knowing that the Father had put all things under his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God, he got up from the meal and he began to wash his disciples’ feet. So, knowing his own great dignity and power, he got up from the meal and began to serve his disciples.

This matches something that Apostle Paul says about the Lord in his letter to the Philippians. Do you remember? Paul talks about the Lord Jesus’s great dignity and power, because he is in very nature God. However, even though he is in very nature God, he did not consider his equality with God something to be grasped. He did not cling on to his great dignity and power as the Son of God. Instead, he took to himself the very nature of a servant. Now, he didn’t give up his divinity. He was still the Eternal Son of God the Father. But he humbled himself by taking to himself our human nature and the form of a servant. And after he humbled himself like that, and after he gave up his life on the cross in obedience to his Father in heaven, he was raised from the dead and he returned to God the Father to resume his seat as king over all.

That’s what Paul said about the Lord Jesus in his letter to the Philippians. And here’s John saying the same sort of thing about the Lord Jesus. He’s telling us how the Lord Jesus, knowing his great dignity and power as the Son of God, got up from the meal and he began to serve his disciples by washing their feet.

This is not the kind work we’d expect God the Son to perform, is it? This is the work of a servant. In fact, it was the work of the lowest form of servant in those days. It was the work of the very lowest slave. And yet this is what our Saviour, the Eternal Son of God, did for his disciples. He rose up from the meal, which he presided over as their Teacher and Lord, and he humbled himself by taking the very nature of a servant. He was still their Teacher and Lord. But he took to himself the form of a servant so that he might serve his disciples by washing their feet. And if you jump forward to verse 12, you’ll see that it says there that after he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place.

And so, washing his disciples’ feet anticipates the cross and the resurrection. Washing their feet and taking his place afterwards is a picture of his mission to save us from our sins, because in order to save us from our sins, he got up from his throne in heaven and he made himself nothing by becoming one of us and by suffering and dying on the cross to cleanse us from the stain of our sin in obedience to his Father’s will. And afterwards, he was raised from the dead and he returned to God the Father to resume his seat as king over all. Washing their feet and taking his place afterwards is a picture of his mission to save us from our sins. Because he loved his disciples, he was willing to serve them by washing their feet. And because he loves us, he was willing to serve us by giving up his life to cleanse us from our guilt.

Verses 6 to 11

According to verse 6, when he came to Peter, Peter objected. Presumably Peter felt awkward. And no doubt the other disciples felt awkward as well. It didn’t seem right that the Lord should wash their feet, because this was the work of the lowest slave and the Lord was, after all, their Teacher and Lord. It didn’t seem right to Peter. It didn’t feel right. And so, he objected.

And according to verse 8 he said to the Lord that the Lord will never wash his feet. Not in a million years will he let the Lord wash his feet. Or we might say: over my dead body. I’d rather die than have you wash my feet, because you’re my Teacher and Lord and you shouldn’t be doing this lowly job.

And that’s when the Lord said to Peter that unless Peter lets the Lord wash him, then Peter can have no part in the Lord. And you get the impression that the Lord is now doing what he has done before with the Samaritan woman at the well. Do you remember? When they began their conversation they were talking about ordinary water. But as the conversation progressed, the Lord stopped talking about ordinary water and started talking about living water and the Holy Spirit.

And in John 13, the Lord and Peter have been talking about foot washing. But when we get to verse 8 it seems the Lord is now talking about another kind of washing. He’s talking about washing our sins away. And unless we let the Lord Jesus wash our sins away, then we can have no part or share in him and in the free gift of eternal life, which he gives to all who believe in his name. We must let the Lord wash away our guilt by trusting in him as the only Saviour of the world, who gave up his life on the cross for our salvation and who shed his blood to cleanse us.

It’s not clear whether Peter understands what the Lord is saying to him, but he responds with unrestrained exuberance by saying that if that’s the case, then don’t just wash my feet, but wash all of me: my feet, my hands, my head and everthing else!

And the Lord explains that if you’ve already had a bath, then you only need to wash your feet. And, of course, you’ll know that in those days the roads were dusty and the people wore sandals. And so, it was customary for them to wash their feet after entering a house, because their feet were dusty and dirty from having walked there. The rest of their bodies were fine. Only their feet were dirty. And so, there’s no need for the Lord to wash Peter’s hands and head as well as his feet. Washing his feet will do.

But, the Lord says, you are clean. Do you see that in verse 10? You are clean. At least, all of them are clean apart from one of them. And the one who is not clean is Judas because he has the guilt of betrayal in his heart. That stain cannot be removed unless he repents and trusts in the Saviour for forgiveness. But the rest of them are already clean. And again, the Lord is not talking about clean feet. He’s talking about being clean inside. He’s talking about been cleansed of our guilt. And we receive that kind of cleansing, not by washing ourselves with water, but by trusting in Christ the Saviour.

Verses 12 to 17

And so, washing their feet and taking his place afterwards is a picture of the Lord’s mission to save us from our sins. And we must believe in him as the only Saviour of the world, because that’s the way to be cleansed of our sin and guilt. That’s what this passage is about up to verse 11. But then, from verse 12 to verse 17, the Lord tells his disciples that he was doing something else when he washed their feet. He was giving them an example to follow.

And so, look at verse 12, where it says that when he had finished, he put on his outer clothes and returned to his place at the table. And he asked them if he understood what he had done for them. Whether they understood or not, he goes on to explain it for them. They call him ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’. And they’re right to do so. He is their Teacher, because he’s been teaching them everything they need to know. And he’s also their Lord. That is to say, he’s their Master.

And so, if he, their Teacher and Lord, was willing to wash their feet, then they should follow his example and wash one another’s feet. He saying to them: You should do for one another what I have done for you. If I’m prepared to humble myself like this, then you should be willing to do the same.

He then adds that no servant is greater than his master and no messenger is greater than the one who sent him. And that means that no servant or messenger can refuse to do what their master has done. Our attitude should be: If my master is willing to do something, then I should be willing to do the same.

And, of course, this is not just something we’re to believe. This is not just some teaching we’re to agree is good and wise and useful. This is something we’re to do. And the Lord encourages us to do what he says and to follow his example by saying to us in verse 17 that now that we know these things, we will be blessed if we do them. God will bless us if we do what the Lord says.

Now, does this mean we should all take off our shoes and socks and present our feet to one another for washing? Does the Lord mean for us to wash one another’s feet literally? Some Christians think we should and they perform a kind of ceremonial washing as part of their worship. But I don’t think that’s how we should apply this passage. In those days, washing your feet was necessary. As I said before, the roads were dusty and everyone wore sandals. Who wanted to sit down for a meal in a room which was full of people with dirty, smelly feet? And who would enjoy a meal when their feet felt dirty? In those days and in that country, washing your feet was necessary, because having dirty feet was a daily problem. But it’s not a problem for us. Our roads are not dusty. We don’t always wear sandals. Even when we are wearing sandals and our feet are dirty, we all have access to running water. Keeping our feet clean is not a problem for us.

And so, the thing we learn from this passage is not for us to wash one another’s feet. The thing we learn from this passage is that we should all have servant-hearts and we mustn’t think that we’re above serving one another. The Lord Jesus was greater than his disciples. He was far, far, far greater than them, because he’s the Eternal Son of God the Father. And yet, he was willing to serve them in this humble way. He didn’t think to himself that he was above that kind of work. He saw a way to serve his disciples and he took it.

And his will for us, his servants, is to follow his example and to humble ourselves by loving and serving one another in obedience to his will. Instead of being proud and instead loving ourselves more than others, instead of thinking that it’s demeaning, we should be prepared to serve one another in whatever ways are necessary.

And in order to do this, we need to look to God for the help of the Holy Spirit. We need the Holy Spirit to renew us in the image of our Saviour, who humbled himself even to death on the cross for us and for our salvation. And so, we need the Spirit of our Saviour to renew us in his image and to help us to put to death our natural pride and our self-love and our self-regard and we need his help to forget ourselves and to think only of how to honour the Lord by loving and serving one another. By nature, we love ourselves first of all and we put love for others and for God second. But the Holy Spirit, sent from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, is able to reorder our disordered loves so that we love God above all other things and then we love our neighbour as ourselves so that what we would like others to do for us we will do for them. When we’re in trouble or in need, we would love someone to come and help us. And so, we should be willing to go and help those who are in trouble or in need. And there is no work that it too low for us to do, because our Saviour who gave up his dignity to wash his disciples’ feet and who gave up his life to cleanse us of our sins commands us to follow his example.

Verses 18 to 30

And before we finish, let me very briefly, far too briefly, deal with verses 18 to 30, where the Lord spoke openly to his disciples about how one of them was about to betray him.

They did not know which one he meant. And even when he pointed Judas out by giving him a piece of bread as I sign that this is the one, they still not not understand. But Judas knew. And the Lord told him to do quickly what he was about to do. And so, Judas got up from the table and he went out and it was dark. Do you see that in verse 30? John is telling us that it was night time. But it’s more than that, isn’t it? John is also telling us that the darkness has enveloped Judas. He had been overcome by the darkness of satan.

And I think we’re to see in Judas the exact opposite of our Lord. The Lord forgot about himself and his dignity and he humbled himself by washing his disciples’ feet and by giving up his life for our salvation. In this way he displayed his love for his disciples and for us. By contrast, Judas was only thinking about himself and the money he would receive from the Jewish authorities for handing the Lord over to them.

When satan entered Judas, Judas went away to betray his Saviour. But when the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ enters our hearts, we’re able with his help to put to death our self-love and we’re able with his help to forget ourselves and we’re able to love the Lord our God and we’re able love the people around us the way that we should.

And so, we should give thanks to God for Christ our Saviour who shed his blood to cleanse us of our guilt. And we should ask the Lord to fill us with his Spirit and to renew us in the image of God so that we’re able to serve one another humbly.