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John 13

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Jesus Washes the Disciples' Feet 1–11

1
Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. ​
2
And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him; ​
3
Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; ​
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. ​
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. ​
9
Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.
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, but not all. ​
11
For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.

The Meaning of the Example 12–20

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?
13
Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.
14
If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's 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.
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. ​
19
Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he.
20
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

Jesus Predicts His Betrayer 21–30

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. ​
22
Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake.
23
Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. ​
24
Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake.
25
He then lying on Jesus' breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it?
26
Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. ​
27
And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly. ​
28
Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him.
29
For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor.
30
He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night. ​

The New Commandment: Love One Another 31–35

31
Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him. ​
32
If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him.
33
Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you.
34
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. ​
35
By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. ​

Jesus Predicts Peter's Denial 36–38

36
Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards. ​
37
Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake. ​
38
Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for John 13

Verse 1

unto the end — Telos is the point aimed at, the limit or completion, so 'to the end' reaches to the uttermost. 'His hour' is the hour of 12:23, 'The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.' 'His own' (idios) are those he calls in v.18 'whom I have chosen'.

Verse 2

put into the heart of Judas Iscariot — Ballo, to cast or throw, here of a thought thrown into the heart (kardia). Christ had said of him, 'one of you is a devil' (John 6:70–71). Luke 22:3 records the same moment, 'Then entered Satan into Judas'; the entry itself comes in v.27.

Verse 3

all things into his hands — The Father's gift named in John 3:35, 'hath given all things into his hand', and Matt 28:18, 'All power is given unto me'. Knowing it, he takes the towel (v.4). 'Went to God' uses hypago, the verb of 'Whither I go' in v.36.

Verse 5

began to wash — Nipto is to wash a part of the body, in contrast to louo, to bathe the whole person (v.10). The water for the feet was a host's courtesy, which Simon had not given: 'thou gavest me no water for my feet' (Luke 7:44). The towel is the one 'wherewith he was girded' (v.4).

Verse 7

thou knowest not now — Two Greek verbs for knowing: eido ('knowest', perceiving) and ginosko ('shalt know', coming to understand). The disciples' later understanding is a pattern in this Gospel: 'when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they' (John 12:16); the Comforter 'shall teach you all things' (John 14:26).

Verse 8

Thou shalt never wash my feet — Peter's refusal is ou me eis ton aiona, the strongest Greek negative, literally not ever, for the age. The reply turns on meros, a share or allotted portion: without the washing Peter has no portion 'with me' (meta emou), that is, in fellowship with Christ.

Verse 10

He that is washed — Two verbs: louo, bathed all over ('washed'), and nipto, to wash a part ('wash his feet'). The one bathed is 'clean every whit' (holos, whole); the disciples' cleanness is 'through the word which I have spoken' (John 15:3). 'Not all' is explained in v.11: 'he knew who should betray him'.

Verse 14

ye also ought — Opheilo, to owe, to be under obligation, the word of a debt. The example becomes a duty because the one who stooped is 'Lord and Master'. The same ground is taken in Luke 22:27, 'I am among you as he that serveth', and Gal 5:13, 'by love serve one another'.

Verse 16

he that is sent — Greek apostolos, the noun behind 'apostle', here meaning one sent. 'Servant' is doulos, a bondman. The saying recurs in Matt 10:24 and John 15:20, there with the warning that 'if they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you'.

Verse 18

lifted up his heel against me — Quoted from Ps 41:9, 'which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me'; pterna is the heel. 'I know whom I have chosen' (eklegomai) recalls 'Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?' (John 6:70). Judas is 'the son of perdition' (John 17:12).

Verse 21

troubled in spirit — Tarasso, to stir up as water is stirred. It is the verb used of Jesus when he saw Mary and the Jews weeping for Lazarus (John 11:33) and in 'Now is my soul troubled' (John 12:27). He 'testified' (martyreo) before saying it: 'one of you shall betray me', as in Matt 26:21.

Verse 23

leaning on Jesus' bosom — The disciples reclined at table, so one lay against the breast of the next. Kolpos, bosom, is the word of John 1:18, 'which is in the bosom of the Father'. The same disciple 'leaned on his breast at supper' (John 21:20) and stood by the cross (John 19:26).

Verse 26

a sop, when I have dipped it — Psomion, a morsel of bread, dipped in the dish. Matt 26:23 gives the sign as 'He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish', and it fulfils Ps 41:9, 'which did eat of my bread' (v.18). The morsel is given to 'Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon', as in 6:71.

Verse 27

Satan entered into him — Eiserchomai, to go in: what v.2 calls putting the thought into the heart now becomes entry (Luke 22:3). 'That thou doest, do quickly' is a word of release, yet 'no man at the table knew for what intent' (v.28); some thought he was sent to buy for the feast (v.29).

Verse 30

it was night — Nux. The hour Jesus names at his arrest is 'your hour, and the power of darkness' (Luke 22:53). Judas goes out 'immediately' (eutheos), at once on receiving the sop; only after he has gone does Jesus say 'Now is the Son of man glorified' (v.31).

Verse 31

Now is the Son of man glorified — Doxazo, to glorify, occurs five times in vv.31–32, twice in v.31 and three times in v.32. It answers 'The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified' (John 12:23) and anticipates 'Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son' (John 17:1).

Verse 34

A new commandment — Kainos means new in freshness, not in time; loving one's neighbour was already written (Lev 19:18). What is new is the measure, 'as I have loved you', just shown in the towel and basin. It is repeated in John 15:17, 'These things I command you, that ye love one another.'

Verse 35

By this shall all men know — The mark of discipleship is agape, love, 'one to another' (allelon), the word of v.34. The mutual love is visible to 'all men'. John 17:21 prays for unity 'that the world may believe', and 1 John 4:20 says the one who 'hateth his brother' and claims to love God 'is a liar'.

Verse 36

whither goest thou? — Peter takes up the 'Whither I go' of v.33 (hypago). 'Thou shalt follow me afterwards' is fulfilled in John 21:18–19, where Christ foretells Peter's death, 'signifying by what death he should glorify God', and then says, 'Follow me.'

Verse 37

I will lay down my life for thy sake — Tithemi psyche, to lay down one's life, the phrase Christ turns back on him in v.38. The vow matches the one made that night by all the disciples: 'Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee' (Matt 26:35).

Verse 38

The cock shall not crow — Alektor, a cock. The prediction is also in Matt 26:34 and Luke 22:34. It is fulfilled at John 18:27: 'Peter then denied again: and immediately the cock crew'; Matt 26:75 and Luke 22:62 add that he 'went out, and wept bitterly'.