John 13:1-20

Read John 13:1-20 Jesus washes the feet of the disciples

John’s Gospel makes a major shift here.  John has talked about Jesus’s “signs” repeatedly in chapters 1 through 12.  John will not use the word “sign” again, except in his concluding comment in John 20:30, where he says that “Jesus did many other signs [that] are not written in this book.”  We are now entering into the section of John’s Gospel that some scholars call “The Book of Glory.”

In 13:1, John says that “Jesus knew that his hour had come” to depart from this world and go to the Father.  John has referred to Jesus’s hour more than half a dozen times so far.  What is Jesus’s “hour”?

Jesus’s “hour” is the time of his suffering and death (his “Passion”), and sometimes, as in this verse, it also includes his resurrection and ascension, since John here refers to Jesus returning to the Father.

Verse 1 tells us that it is just before the feast of the Passover.  John does not give us the Last Supper account that the other Gospels give us, with the meal in which Jesus took the bread and the cup of wine and said, “This is my body....  This is my blood.”  He has already dealt with that topic in chapter 6 in his Bread of Life discourse with the command to eat his flesh and drink his blood.  John focuses mostly on the meaning of what Jesus taught.  The other Gospels already told the story of what Jesus did at the last Supper, so he may not have felt the need to fully repeat that.

What does the second half of verse 1 tell us?

Take the second half of verse 1 and insert your name: “Having loved his own in the world, including [insert your name], he loved [insert your name] to the end.”  Having loved you, he loves you to the end. What does this say to you?

Verse 2 says that the devil had put it into Judas’s heart to hand over Jesus.  At that time, the heart was considered the source of thoughts and feelings.  What do you do when a temptation to do wrong enters your heart or mind?

It is interesting that John brings up Judas in verse 2, right after what he says in verse 1 and right before what he says in verse 3.  He says that the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas to betray Jesus (literally, to hand over or deliver up Jesus).

• How does the fact that Judas is there relate to verse 1?

• How does Judas’s presence relate to the washing of the feet?

We will explore the meaning of what Jesus does later.  Let’s focus first on what he actually does, and how Peter reacts.  In verses 4 and 5, what does Jesus do?

When Jesus takes off his outer garment and takes a towel, he is assuming the posture and role of a slave.  Many Greeks and Romans had slaves. The master of a house would direct his slave to wash the feet of an important guest.  What is Jesus signaling by taking the role of a slave?

In verse 3, John provides context for Jesus’s act of washing the disciples’ feet.  John says that Jesus is aware of 3 things.  What are they?

Jesus is aware that (1) the Father has put everything into his hands, meaning that he has power over all things; (2) he came from God; and (3) he is going to return to God.

How does the fact that Jesus knows he has been given power over all things provide context for Jesus’s act of washing their feet?

In verses 6-8, how does Simon Peter respond when Jesus comes to him to wash his feet?

Why do you think Peter did not want Jesus to do this?

Are there times when you feel like you don’t want to ask God to do something for you?  What does this story tell you about that hesitation?

In verse 7, Jesus tells Peter that he doesn’t understand now but he will understand later.  What is it that you think Peter will understand later?

In verse 8, Jesus says, “If I don’t wash you, you have no part (or share or inheritance) with me.”  What do you think this means?

The fact that Jesus gives Peter such a serious and cautionary response tells us that this action is about far more than washing the muck of the street off the feet of the disciples.  This is a living parable that Jesus is portraying in their midst.  What is he demonstrating for us?

We know we are called to serve Jesus.  But how might we also be called to let Jesus serve us?

How does what Jesus is doing here relate to the sacrifice he is about to make in giving his life for them and us?

What does Peter’s response in verse 9 tell you about his desire to be with Jesus?

Peter wants to be “all in” with Jesus – to be fully devoted to him.  He doesn’t understand the point of what Jesus is doing, but he knows he wants to share fully in whatever Jesus is doing.  How can we emulate Peter or take a lesson from his desire to give himself so fully to Jesus?

What might God be calling you to do right now that would be a step toward giving yourself more fully to Jesus?

In verse 10, Jesus tells Peter that those who have bathed only need their feet washed.  This is literally true, but it also has a symbolic meaning.  The word for “bathed” is also used in the New Testament for our being cleansed of our sins and sometimes suggests the image of baptism.  If we have been washed clean in baptism, how might we still need our “feet” washed?

Jesus and John note (in verses 10-11) that there is one of them who is not “clean”: Judas, who will betray him by handing him over to the authorities.

In verses 12-17, how does Jesus explain what he has just done?

What stands out to you as particularly important in his explanation, and why?

Jesus says that if he washed their feet, they also ought to wash each other’s feet.  How does this apply to us?

Although in many places Jesus calls us to care for the needy strangers we encounter, that is not what he is saying here.  This is about washing the feet of the people we spend our time with regularly, which might be family members, fellow church members, or others we regularly spend time with.  And in the 21^st century, most people don’t need their feet washed when they come in from the street.  In what ways are we called to “wash” each other’s feet?

In verse 17, Jesus says that if you understand what he is saying, “blessed are you” if you do it.  What is the “blessing” in figuratively “washing” each other’s feet?

Is there someone who needs you to act like a servant to them right now?  What is their need, and how would you go about addressing it?

Return for a moment to Jesus ‘s metaphor that those who have already bathed only need their feet washed.  One possible explanation of this is that our sins are forgiven when we are baptized, but we continue to need cleansing by God because we still sin sometimes after we are baptized.  How can we avail ourselves of the continual cleansing that Jesus offers?

We can’t cleanse other people of their sins.  But how can we be a vehicle that helps people receive cleansing from their sins?

In verse 18, Jesus again addresses the fact that there is one person among them who will betray him.  In verse 19, he says that he is telling them this in advance so that when he is betrayed and goes to his death they will understand that he is “I AM” – that is, God in their midst.

In verse 20, Jesus makes a statement that seems out of place but is connected to verse 16, where he refers to a messenger and the one who sent him.  What does verse 20 mean?  Who are the people Jesus sends, whom we are called to receive?

What can you take with you from this story of the washing of the disciples’ feet?  How can you apply it to your everyday life?

Take a step back and consider this:

Throughout history, some Christians have fallen prey to the temptation to take high positions and have others serve them, and some church leaders have expected to be treated with deference and special privileges.  Some people in the pews have wanted to be served rather than to serve.  If the crucifixion itself is not sufficient evidence that those attitudes have missed the point, this action by Jesus is a stark corrective.

When we refer to the minor burdens of everyday life as “bearing our cross,” we make the phrase almost trite.  Similarly, when the main people claiming to be servants put the word “leader” after the word “servant” – as in “servant leader” – it sends a confusing message about what serving is all about.  Who are the “servant servants”: the ones who serve by washing the dishes, by teaching the youngest children in Sunday school, by providing the food that mysteriously appears at church functions, by cleaning up afterwards?  Those people are following Jesus’s example of service.

This story suggests that the challenge we have received from Jesus is this: “Take up your towel and follow me.”

Where might there be a towel waiting for you pick it up and use it, because no one else will?

How can we be like Jesus in his willingness to do the dirtiest, most mundane tasks as people gather together?