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.”  Scholars often divide John’s Gospel into 4 parts:

John 1:1-18 Prologue

John 1:19-12:50 The Book of Signs

John 13:1-20:31 The Book of Glory

John 21:1-25 Epilogue

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 (his “Passion”) and death, and sometimes, as in this verse, it also includes his resurrection and ascension, since John 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 in chapter 6 in his Bread of Life discourse and the command to eat his flesh and drink his blood.  John focuses mostly on what Jesus taught.

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 _____, he loved _____ to the end.”  What does that say to you?

It is interesting that John brings up Judas in verse 2.  How does his comment  – that the devil had already put it into the mind of Judas to betray Jesus (perhaps more literally to hand over or deliver up Jesus) – relate to verse 1?  How does this comment about Judas relate to the washing of the feet?

The word translated as Judas’s “mind” in verse 2 is literally “heart” in the Greek.  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?

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.  The master of a house would direct his slave to wash the feet of an important guest.  What is Jesus signaling by doing 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 the Father gave Jesus power over all things provide context for Jesus’s act of washing feet?

In verses 6-8, how does Simon Peter respond as Jesus comes 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 Jesus (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 do 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 he means?

The fact that Jesus gives Peter such a serious and cautionary response tells us that it 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.  We know we are called to serve Jesus.  But how might we be called to let Jesus serve us, too?

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 what Jesus is doing.  How can we emulate or take a lesson from Peter’s 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 (or washed) is also used in the New Testament for our being cleansed of our sins and in some cases may imply the image of baptism.  If we have been washed clean in baptism, how might we still need our “feet” washed?

Jesus and John note (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?

For most people in the 21^st century, it would not make sense to interpret this literally.  In what ways should we “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?  How, and how would you go about it?

If Jesus is, at least in part, talking symbolically about cleansing people from sin, that is not something we have the power to do.  Are there ways, though, that we can be the vehicle by which 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?

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 bend the world to serve their wishes.  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?

I see in this story a challenge from Jesus: “Take up your towel and follow me.”

Where might there be a towel waiting for us take it up, if we are willing, because no one else will?

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