John 13
- Who wrote it
- Traditionally John, the son of Zebedee
- Who it was for
- Followers of Jesus, Jewish and Gentile
- What was happening
- The last supper in John: a towel, a basin, and a new commandment
What’s happening
Before the feast of the Passover, Jesus, knowing that his hour has come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, loved them to the end. During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot to betray him, and Jesus knowing that the Father has given all things into his hands and that he came from God and is going to God, he gets up from supper, lays aside his outer garments, takes a towel, and wraps himself. Then he pours water into the basin and begins to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel. When he comes to Simon Peter, Peter says, "Lord, do you wash my feet?" Jesus answers, "What I am doing, you don't know now, but you will understand later." "You will never wash my feet!" "If I don't wash you, you have no part with me." "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!" Jesus says, "He who has bathed only needs to have his feet washed, but is completely clean. You are clean, but not all of you." For he knows who would betray him. After washing their feet, he puts on his garments and sits down again: "Do you know what I have done to you? You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord.' You say so correctly, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. ... A servant is not greater than his lord, neither one who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them." Troubled in spirit, he testifies, "One of you will betray me." The disciples look at one another, wondering of whom he speaks. One of them, whom Jesus loved, is reclining on Jesus' breast, and Simon Peter motions to him to ask who it is. He leans back and asks, and Jesus answers, "It is he to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it." He dips it and gives it to Judas, and after the piece of bread, Satan enters into him. Jesus says, "What you do, do quickly." No one at the table knows why he said this; some think, because Judas has the money box, that Jesus is telling him to buy what is needed for the feast or to give something to the poor. Having received the piece of bread, Judas goes out immediately, "and it was night." When he has gone out, Jesus says, "Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in him. ... Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will seek me, and as I said to the Jews, 'Where I am going, you can't come,' so now I tell you. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." Simon Peter asks, "Lord, where are you going?" "Where I am going, you can't follow now, but you will follow afterwards." "Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you." Jesus answers, "Will you lay down your life for me? Most certainly I tell you, the rooster won't crow, till you have denied me three times."
Why the setting matters
In John the Last Supper takes place "before the feast of the Passover," and Jesus dies as the Passover lambs are being slaughtered (18:28, 19:14), while the other Gospels describe the supper as the Passover meal itself; how to reconcile the two timings has been debated for centuries. Washing a guest's feet was a task for a servant, usually a non-Jewish slave, since feet were dusty from walking in sandals, and a Jewish servant could not be required to do it, so Jesus is taking the lowest place. Peter's refusal and then his overcorrection are typical. The "one whom Jesus loved" is never named, appears only in John, and is usually identified in later tradition with the apostle John, though that is debated; he lies beside Jesus at the table, which was the place of honor in the Greco-Roman style of reclining on couches. "Dipping the piece" was a host's gesture of honor, which makes Judas' betrayal more painful, and echoes Psalm 41:9, which John quotes at 13:18. "It was night" is both a time and a symbol, as in 3:2. The "new commandment" is new in its standard, "as I have loved you," since love of neighbor was already commanded in Leviticus 19:18. John gives "Mandatum" its name in Latin from this verse; "Maundy Thursday" comes from it.
Who’s in this chapter
Jesus
Washes the disciples' feet, names his betrayer, and gives a new commandment.
Simon Peter
Refuses, then asks for more, then promises to die for him.
Judas Iscariot
Takes the bread and goes out into the night.
The disciple whom Jesus loved
Reclining next to Jesus, asks who the betrayer is.
The disciples
Don't understand what Judas is sent to do.
Talk it through
- Jesus has all authority and takes a towel. What does that say about what authority is for?
- Peter says no, then asks for a full bath. What does he get wrong each time?
- Jesus gives Judas the bread and still lets him go. How do you read that?
- "A new commandment." What is new about it?
Read John 13
World English Bible
1Now before the feast of the Passover, Jesus, knowing that his time had come that he would depart from this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, 3Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he came from God, and was going to God, 4arose from supper, and laid aside his outer garments. He took a towel and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5Then he poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6Then he came to Simon Peter. He said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?”
7Jesus answered him, “You don’t know what I am doing now, but you will understand later.”
8Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet!”
Jesus answered him, “If I don’t wash you, you have no part with me.”
9Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!”
10Jesus said to him, “Someone who has bathed only needs to have his feet washed, but is completely clean. You are clean, but not all of you.” 11For he knew him who would betray him, therefore he said, “You are not all clean.” 12So when he had washed their feet, put his outer garment back on, and sat down again, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13You call me, ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord.’ You say so correctly, for so I am. 14If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15For I have given you an example, that you should also do as I have done to you. 16Most certainly I tell you, a servant is not greater than his lord, neither is one who is sent greater than he who sent him. 17If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. 18I don’t speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen. But that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats bread with me has lifted up his heel against me.’ 19From now on, I tell you before it happens, that when it happens, you may believe that I am he. 20Most certainly I tell you, he who receives whomever I send, receives me; and he who receives me, receives him who sent me.”
21When Jesus had said this, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, “Most certainly I tell you that one of you will betray me.”
22The disciples looked at one another, perplexed about whom he spoke. 23One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was at the table, leaning against Jesus’ breast. 24Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, and said to him, “Tell us who it is of whom he speaks.”
25He, leaning back, as he was, on Jesus’ breast, asked him, “Lord, who is it?”
26Jesus therefore answered, “It is he to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27After the piece of bread, then Satan entered into him.
Then Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.”
28Now nobody at the table knew why he said this to him. 29For some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus said to him, “Buy what things we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. 30Therefore having received that morsel, he went out immediately. It was night.
31When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. 32If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and he will glorify him immediately. 33Little children, I will be with you a little while longer. You will seek me, and as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you can’t come,’ so now I tell you. 34A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also love one another. 35By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
36Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?”
Jesus answered, “Where I am going, you can’t follow now, but you will follow afterwards.”
37Peter said to him, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”
38Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for me? Most certainly I tell you, the rooster won’t crow until you have denied me three times.
Text: World English Bible, Public domain. About our sources