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Origen of Alexandria

Ante-Nicene · to AD 325 · 2,651 passages across 61 books

Commentary

1,101–1,120 of 2,651
John 13:7

Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.

[Our Lord teaches] that this act was a mystery. But what was it that Jesus was doing when he washed the disciples’ feet? Was he, by washing their feet and drying them with the towel with which he had girded himself, making them beautiful, since they were about to preach the good news?…Now the feet of those proclaiming good news became beautiful, so that, when they were washed and cleansed and dried by Jesus’ hands, they might be able to walk on the holy way and travel over him who said, “I am the way.” For he alone, and everyone who has had his feet washed by Jesus, travels over this way, which is living and which brings one to the Father. This way admits no feet that are defiled and not yet clean. Moses therefore had to loose the sandals from his feet since the place to which he had come, on which he stood, was holy ground. And the same was true of Joshua the son of Nun. … For me to wash your feet [Jesus says] is symbolic of the bases of your souls being purified, that they may be beautiful, since you are to preach the good news and to approach the souls of people with your feet cle…
[Our Lord teaches] that this act was a mystery. But what was it that Jesus was doing when he washed the disciples’ feet? Was he, by washing their feet and drying them with the towel with which he had girded himself, making them beautiful, since they were about to preach the good news?…Now the feet of those proclaiming good news became beautiful, so that, when they were washed and cleansed and dried by Jesus’ hands, they might be able to walk on the holy way and travel over him who said, “I am the way.” For he alone, and everyone who has had his feet washed by Jesus, travels over this way, which is living and which brings one to the Father. This way admits no feet that are defiled and not yet clean. Moses therefore had to loose the sandals from his feet since the place to which he had come, on which he stood, was holy ground. And the same was true of Joshua the son of Nun. …
For me to wash your feet [Jesus says] is symbolic of the bases of your souls being purified, that they may be beautiful, since you are to preach the good news and to approach the souls of people with your feet clean. But you do not now know this mystery, inasmuch as you do not yet have knowledge of it. Such knowledge will more appropriately be present in you when I have washed your feet, and after this you will know, when you understand this mystery and are enlightened.
John 13:8 · 2 passages

Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.

Since Peter’s answer was disadvantageous for him, Jesus, who in a manner appropriate to his own goodness prevents those things from becoming true that would prove harmful to the one who speaks them, does not permit Peter’s answer to become true.
When the other disciples entrusted themselves to Jesus and offered no resistance, [Peter], by what he says (although he seemed well intentioned) not only accuses Jesus of beginning to wash the disciples’ feet without a reason but also accuses his companions. For if he acted properly (which he thought he did) when he wanted to hinder Jesus, but the other disciples did not see the propriety in his actions, then he accused those who presented their feet to Jesus, contrary to what was proper at least in his mind. And if he thought that one must not resist what is reasonable and supposed that what happened when the disciples’ feet were washed by Jesus was reasonable, he would not have resisted what happened. He appears, therefore, to have assumed rashly that Jesus’ desire to wash the disciples’ feet was not reasonable.
John 13:11

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

The eleven who had bathed and were clean became even cleaner when they had their feet washed by Jesus. But Judas who was already unclean, for it says, “He who is filthy, let him be filthy still,” became filthier and unclean when Satan entered him after the morsel.
John 13:12-13 · 2 passages

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?

Jesus washed the feet of the disciples insofar as he was their teacher, and the feet of the servants insofar as he was their Lord. For the dust from the earth and from worldly things is cleared away by teaching, since it reaches nothing else than the extremities and lower parts of the disciples. But those things that defile the feet are also removed by the lordship of the ruler, since he has authority over those who still receive common defilement because they still have the spirit of bondage.
And this is the goal of the teacher, as teacher, for the disciple. He wants to make the disciple like himself, so that he may no longer need the teacher, as teacher, although he will need him in other respects.
John 13:14

If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet.

But consider if it is not also difficult for anyone who is a disciple of Christ who wishes to fulfill the command that says, “You also ought to wash one another’s feet,” since he is obliged to desire to perform the work of washing his brothers’ feet, which are physical and perceptible to the senses. Consequently, the faithful [are obliged] to do this in whatever station of life they happen to be, whether bishops and presbyters who seem to be in ecclesiastical prominence, or even those in other positions of honor in the world. This means that the master comes to wash the feet of the believing servant, and parents wash the feet of their son. This custom either does not occur, or it occurs exceedingly rarely and among those who are very simple and rustic.
John 13:16

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.

The Savior, who is Lord, does something that surpasses all other lords, who have no desire to see their servants rise up to their level. He is such a Son of the Father’s goodness and love that, although he was Lord, he produced servants who could become like him, their Lord, not having the spirit of bondage, which comes from fear, but the spirit of adoption in which they too cry, “Abba, Father.” So then, before becoming like their teacher and lord, they need to have their feet washed because they are still deficient disciples who possess the spirit of bondage to fear. But when they attain the stature of master and lord … then they will be able to imitate their master and wash the disciple’s feet as the teacher.
John 13:18

I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.

Literally, this means, I know who each person is whom I have chosen. Therefore, I also know who Judas is, and he does not escape my notice, although the devil has already put the things against me into his heart.
John 13:19

Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he.

And understand the words “that you may believe” as capable of being equivalent to the words “that you may be increased in faith,” while you continue to believe.
John 13:20 · 2 passages

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

Whomever the Savior sends to minister to the salvation of anyone, that person who is sent is an apostle of Jesus Christ. But just as the apostle is an apostle of the one who sent him, so is he an apostle only to those to whom he is sent.
He who receives whom[ever] Jesus may send, receives Jesus in the one sent, and he who receives Jesus receives the Father. Therefore, he who receives whomever Jesus may send receives the Father who sent Jesus.
John 13:21

When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.

(t. xxxii. 11.) His being troubled in spirit, was the human part, suffering under the 1excess of the spiritual. For if every Saint lives, acts, and suffers in the spirit, how much more is this true of Jesus, the Rewarder of Saints.
John 13:22 · 2 passages

Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake.

(t. xxxii. 12.) They remembered too, that, as men, before they were matured, their minds were liable to change, so as to form wishes the very opposite to what they might have had before.
The phrase about the disciples, "doubting of whom he spoke," is vivid. For they were unable to conceive of whom this had been said and were in doubt about it, and they found nothing clear either to think or say.
John 13:23

Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.

(t. xxxii. 13.) I think this has a peculiar meaning, viz. that John was admitted to a knowledge of the more secret mysteries of the Word.
John 13:24 · 2 passages

Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake.

(t. xxxii. 13.) Or, at first he beckoned, and then not content with beckoning, spake: Who is it of whom he speaks?
Now, beckoning is taken as slander in proverbs, for the wicked person “beckons with his eyes” … Peter’s act, however, was to beckon out of his eagerness for knowledge, and subsequent to such beckoning, to say to his fellow disciple, since he was more intimate with the teacher, “Tell us who it is of whom he speaks.”
John 13:25 · 2 passages

He then lying on Jesus' breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it?

(t. xxxii. 13.) He then lying on Jesus' breast, saith unto Him, Lord, who is it?
John, by reclining on the Word and resting on more mystical things, was reclining in the bosom of the Word, analogous also to the Word being in the bosom of the Father, according to the statement, “The only-begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him.”

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