John 13:1-17

June 1, 2014

Were in our study of John and weve finally come to chapter thirteen. The first
twelve chapters cover from in the beginning to around A.D. 33. Chapters 13-17,
however, only cover the space of about one meal! Jesus knows His time is up and
so Hes taken His disciples into this private room. They still dont understand the
big picture; they think Hes come to overthrow Rome and reestablish Davids
throne, and theyre going to be perplexed at His death. The Messiah is supposed to
be eternal; Hes supposed to be glorified and exalted; the government will rest on
His shoulders. So when Christ dies between two common criminals these followers
wont know what to do.

And so the goal is to show them that their Master must first suffer. More
specifically He must be humiliated. And of course, the way He does this is to wash
their feet. He takes on the look and the actions of a slave. And if youll just think of
that in more general terms youll see that were also talking about His first coming.
He humbled Himself and took on the form of a slave and became obedient to death
(Phil 2:8). And so, washing their feet is consistent with His purpose.

I think it probably adds to it a little bit to know this conversation is the same one
where the disciples argue about which of them will be greatest in Christs
kingdom (Lk. 22:24). They really need to see what Gods kingdom is all about, and
they really need to know what it means to love each other.

Alright, the first five verses are pretty choppy and hard to understand because
most of the stuff in the middle is parenthetical. He starts out by saying, Before the
feast of the Passover. Well, what about it? What happened before the feast? For
that we have to skip down to verse four. Before the feastJesus rose and washed
their feet. Everything that falls in the middle of these two sentences is details that
prepare us for the King on His knees washing feet.

Dont read it too quickly. Imagine being a Jew whos waiting on the King and then
you hear John talking about how Jesus dressed up like a slave and then started
acting like one. Thats kind of disappointing, isnt it? And John is aware of this so
he doesnt just jump right out and say it; he builds up to it with five things Jesus
knew or did that justify this humiliating act. Yes, the King humbled Himself, but
here are the reasons He did it.

To make it easier to see Ive made this table:


1
Now before the feast of the passover,

Details to prepare us for v. 4: He washed because:
when Jesus knew that his hour was come
that he should depart out of this world unto
the Father,
He knew His time was up
and wanted to more fully
prepare His disciples for the
cross.
having loved his own which were in the
world, he loved them unto the end.
He wanted them to
experience firsthand how
much He loved them and to
give them a standard.
2
And supper being ended, the devil having
now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot,
Simons son, to betray him;
He was completely submitted
to the Fathers will; He would
even give His enemy
occasion to betray Him and
He would submit to death.
3
Jesus knowing that the Father had given all
things into his hands,
He was not afraid to lose
status by serving. Rather, He
submitted to the Fathers will
that he who is last shall be
first.
and [Jesus knowing] that he was come from
God, and went to God;
He was convinced of His
origin and destination and
that He would victoriously
return at the completion of
His mission.
4
He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and
girded himself.
5
After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the
disciples feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.

So, you can see that Hes got reasons to dress like a slave and do a slaves job. His
whole first coming is about submission. Its about giving Himself for those He loves
and allowing His lessers to triumph over Him for a season.

6
Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou
wash my feet?
7
Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest
not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.
8
Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt
never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no
part with me.

Think of this in the broader sense: Peter thinks Jesus is going to set up His
kingdom now. No, Peter. Im here to serve. The kingdom comes later. If you cant
accept Me as a servant, if you cant bear my humiliation now, then how will you
bear it at my cross? Stooping down is His whole point. If He doesnt stoop then no
one can join Him.

Well, Simon still doesnt understand, but hes on board all the way anyway:

9
Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and
my head.

If Jesus has to wash Peter for them to be united then Peter wants the whole
treatment. It might sound a little strange to us, but consider how Peter grew up. He
knows the Old Testament and hes seen the sprinkling of blood and the washing
with water many times. You can almost hear him quoting Psalm 51:2 and 7: Wash
me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin; Purge me with
hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. If washing
is whats required then Peter wants to receive the whole thing.

10
Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet,
but is clean every whit: and ye are clean,

Think about how they did things back then. You take a bath in the morning, but
the dusty roads cover your feet throughout the day. That doesnt mean you keep
taking baths; you just wash your feet. The spiritual truth is that Peter is clean. He
can stand in front of God with confidence already. But the day is long and theres
lots of dust along the way. Jesus will wash his feet and keep him clean (I Jn. 1:9).

but not all.
11
For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are
not all clean.

There are thirteen people sitting at this meal. Twelve can stand boldly before God,
but one is condemned. The foot washing wont change this. But what we learn
here is that when Jesus humbled Himself it wasnt just to serve His church; He
also humbled Himself to be the victim of His plotters. The humiliated servant must
suffer for His people before He can be exalted.

And so, He washes the feet of eleven men to show His love and union with them
and to prepare them for His death, and He washes the feet of the one in obedience
to His coming death on a cross (Phil. 2:8).

12
So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set
down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?

Its typical for Jesus to reveal the spiritual with earthly things and then to explain
it:

13
Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.

They call Him teacher (, didaskalos)
1
and Master (, Kurios)
2

because He really is those things. Thats what makes it so bizarre that He would
serve them, but Hes got a reason:

14
If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to
wash one anothers feet.
15
For I have given you an example, that ye should
do as I have done to you.
16
Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not
greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.
17
If
ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.

If the Master humbles Himself to such a low position, then its fitting that those
who follow Him do the same. Knowing this and doing it makes us happy!

Lets close with a few points:

#1- Christ experienced true humiliation for our sakes to secure our future with Him.
#2- Christs love and leadership is the example for us as a fellowship and as
individuals.
#3- Christ obeyed knowing He would gain everything and lose nothing.

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1
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=didaskalos&la=greek#lexicon
2
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=kurios&la=greek#lexicon