John 13:15-38

13:15 For I have given you an example ¹  – you should do just as I have done for you. 13:16 I tell you the solemn truth, ²  the slave ³  is not greater than his master, nor is the one who is sent as a messenger ⁴  greater than the one who sent him. 13:17 If you understand ⁵  these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

The Announcement of Jesus’ Betrayal

13:18 “What I am saying does not refer to all of you. I know the ones I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the scripture, ⁶  ‘The one who eats my bread ⁷  has turned against me.’ ⁸  13:19 I am telling you this now, ⁹  before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe ¹⁰  that I am he. ¹¹  13:20 I tell you the solemn truth, ¹²  whoever accepts ¹³  the one I send accepts me, and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.” ¹⁴ 

13:21 When he had said these things, Jesus was greatly distressed ¹⁵  in spirit, and testified, ¹⁶  “I tell you the solemn truth, ¹⁷  one of you will betray me.” ¹⁸  13:22 The disciples began to look at one another, worried and perplexed ¹⁹  to know which of them he was talking about. 13:23 One of his disciples, the one Jesus loved, ²⁰  was at the table ²¹  to the right of Jesus in a place of honor. ²²  13:24 So Simon Peter ²³  gestured to this disciple ²⁴  to ask Jesus ²⁵  who it was he was referring to. ²⁶  13:25 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved ²⁷  leaned back against Jesus’ chest and asked him, “Lord, who is it?” 13:26 Jesus replied, ²⁸  “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread ²⁹  after I have dipped it in the dish.” ³⁰  Then he dipped the piece of bread in the dish ³¹  and gave it to Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son. 13:27 And after Judas ³²  took the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. ³³  Jesus said to him, ³⁴  “What you are about to do, do quickly.” 13:28 (Now none of those present at the table ³⁵  understood ³⁶  why Jesus ³⁷  said this to Judas. ³⁸  13:29 Some thought that, because Judas had the money box, Jesus was telling him to buy whatever they needed for the feast, ³⁹  or to give something to the poor.) ⁴⁰  13:30 Judas ⁴¹  took the piece of bread and went out immediately. (Now it was night.) ⁴² 

The Prediction of Peter’s Denial

13:31 When ⁴³  Judas ⁴⁴  had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in him. 13:32 If God is glorified in him, ⁴⁵  God will also glorify him in himself, and he will glorify him right away. ⁴⁶  13:33 Children, I am still with you for a little while. You will look for me, ⁴⁷  and just as I said to the Jewish religious leaders, ⁴⁸  ‘Where I am going you cannot come,’ ⁴⁹  now I tell you the same. ⁵⁰ 

13:34 “I give you a new commandment – to love ⁵¹  one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. ⁵²  13:35 Everyone ⁵³  will know by this that you are my disciples – if you have love for one another.”

13:36 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied, ⁵⁴  “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, but you will follow later.” 13:37 Peter said to him, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you!” ⁵⁵  13:38 Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? ⁵⁶  I tell you the solemn truth, ⁵⁷  the rooster will not crow until you have denied me three times!

[13:15]  ¹ sn I have given you an example. Jesus tells his disciples after he has finished washing their feet that what he has done is to set an example for them. In the previous verse he told them they were to wash one another’s feet. What is the point of the example? If it is simply an act of humble service, as most interpret the significance, then Jesus is really telling his disciples to serve one another in humility rather than seeking preeminence over one another. If, however, the example is one of self-sacrifice up to the point of death, then Jesus is telling them to lay down their lives for one another (cf. 15:13).

[13:16]  ² tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[13:16]  ³ tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 4:51.

[13:16]  ⁴ tn Or “nor is the apostle” (“apostle” means “one who is sent” in Greek).

[13:17]  ⁵ tn Grk “If you know.”

[13:18]  ⁶ tn Grk “But so that the scripture may be fulfilled.”

[13:18]  ⁷ tn Or “The one who shares my food.”

[13:18]  ⁸ tn Or “has become my enemy”; Grk “has lifted up his heel against me.” The phrase “to lift up one’s heel against someone” reads literally in the Hebrew of Ps 41 “has made his heel great against me.” There have been numerous interpretations of this phrase, but most likely it is an idiom meaning “has given me a great fall,” “has taken cruel advantage of me,” or “has walked out on me.” Whatever the exact meaning of the idiom, it clearly speaks of betrayal by a close associate. See E. F. F. Bishop, “‘He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me’ – Jn xiii.18 (Ps xli.9),” ExpTim 70 (1958-59): 331-33.

[13:19]  ⁹ tn Or (perhaps) “I am certainly telling you this.” According to BDF §12.3 ἀπ᾿ ἄρτι (ap’ arti) should be read as ἀπαρτί (aparti), meaning “exactly, certainly.”

[13:19]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “so that you may believe.”

[13:19]  ¹¹ tn Grk “that I am.” R. E. Brown (John [AB], 2:555) argues for a nonpredicated ἐγώ εἰμι (egw eimi) here, but this is far from certain.

[13:20]  ¹² tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[13:20]  ¹³ tn Or “receives,” and so throughout this verse.

[13:20]  ¹⁴ sn The one who sent me refers to God.

[13:21]  ¹⁵ tn Or “greatly troubled.”

[13:21]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “and testified and said.”

[13:21]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[13:21]  ¹⁸ tn Or “will hand me over.”

[13:22]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “uncertain,” “at a loss.” Here two terms, “worried and perplexed,” were used to convey the single idea of the Greek verb ἀπορέω (aporew).

[13:23]  ²⁰ sn Here for the first time the one Jesus loved, the ‘beloved disciple,’ is introduced. This individual also is mentioned in 19:26, 20:2, 21:7, and 21:20. Some have suggested that this disciple is to be identified with Lazarus, since the Fourth Gospel specifically states that Jesus loved him (11:3, 5, 36). From the terminology alone this is a possibility; the author is certainly capable of using language in this way to indicate connections. But there is nothing else to indicate that Lazarus was present at the last supper; Mark 14:17 seems to indicate it was only the twelve who were with Jesus at this time, and there is no indication in the Fourth Gospel to the contrary. Nor does it appear that Lazarus ever stood so close to Jesus as the later references in chaps. 19, 20 and 21 seem to indicate. When this is coupled with the omission of all references to John son of Zebedee from the Fourth Gospel, it seems far more likely that the references to the beloved disciple should be understood as references to him.

[13:23]  ²¹ tn Grk “was reclining.” This reflects the normal 1st century practice of eating a meal in a semi-reclining position.

[13:23]  ²² tn Grk “was reclining in the bosom (or “lap”) of Jesus” (according to both L&N 17.25 and BDAG 65 s.v. ἀνάκειμαι 2 an idiom for taking the place of honor at a meal, but note the similar expression in John 1:18). Whether this position or the position to the left of Jesus should be regarded as the position of second highest honor (next to the host, in this case Jesus, who was in the position of highest honor) is debated. F. Prat, “Les places d’honneur chez les Juifs contemporains du Christ” (RSR 15 [1925]: 512-22), who argued that the table arrangement was that of the Roman triclinium (a U-shaped table with Jesus and two other disciples at the bottom of the U), considered the position to the left of Jesus to be the one of second highest honor. Thus the present translation renders this “a position of honor” without specifying which one (since both of the two disciples to the right and to the left of Jesus would be in positions of honor). Other translations differ as to how they handle the phrase ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ τοῦ ᾿Ιησοῦ (en tw kolpw tou Ihsou; “leaning on Jesus’ bosom,” KJV; “lying close to the breast of Jesus,” RSV; “reclining on Jesus’ breast,” NASB; “reclining next to him,” NIV, NRSV) but the symbolic significance of the beloved disciple’s position seems clear. He is close to Jesus and in an honored position. The phrase as an idiom for a place of honor at a feast is attested in the Epistles of Pliny (the Younger) 4.22.4, an approximate contemporary of Paul.

[13:24]  ²³ sn It is not clear where Simon Peter was seated. If he were on Jesus’ other side, it is difficult to see why he would not have asked the question himself. It would also have been difficult to beckon to the beloved disciple, on Jesus’ right, from such a position. So apparently Peter was seated somewhere else. It is entirely possible that Judas was seated to Jesus’ left. Matt 26:25 seems to indicate that Jesus could speak to him without being overheard by the rest of the group. Judas is evidently in a position where Jesus can hand him the morsel of food (13:26).

[13:24]  ²⁴ tn Grk “to this one”; the referent (the beloved disciple) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:24]  ²⁵ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:24]  ²⁶ sn That is, who would betray him (v. 21).

[13:25]  ²⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the disciple Jesus loved) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:26]  ²⁸ tn Grk “Jesus answered.”

[13:26]  ²⁹ sn The piece of bread was a broken-off piece of bread (not merely a crumb).

[13:26]  ³⁰ tn Grk “after I have dipped it.” The words “in the dish” are not in the Greek text, but the presence of a bowl or dish is implied.

[13:26]  ³¹ tn The words “in the dish” are not in the Greek text, but the presence of a bowl or dish is implied.

[13:27]  ³² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:27]  ³³ tn Grk “into that one”; the pronoun “he” is more natural English style here.

[13:27]  ³⁴ tn Grk “Then Jesus said to him.”

[13:28]  ³⁵ tn Grk “reclining at the table.” The phrase reclining at the table reflects the normal practice in 1st century Near Eastern culture of eating a meal in a semi-reclining position.

[13:28]  ³⁶ tn Or “knew.”

[13:28]  ³⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:28]  ³⁸ tn Grk “to him”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:29]  ³⁹ tn Grk “telling him, ‘Buy whatever we need for the feast.’” The first clause is direct discourse and the second clause indirect discourse. For smoothness of English style, the first clause has been converted to indirect discourse to parallel the second (the meaning is left unchanged).

[13:29]  ⁴⁰ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[13:30]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “That one”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:30]  ⁴² sn Now it was night is a parenthetical note by the author. The comment is more than just a time indicator, however. With the departure of Judas to set in motion the betrayal, arrest, trials, crucifixion, and death of Jesus, daytime is over and night has come (see John 9:5; 11:9-10; 12:35-36). Judas had become one of those who walked by night and stumbled, because the light was not in him (11:10).

[13:31]  ⁴³ tn Grk “Then when.”

[13:31]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:32]  ⁴⁵ tc A number of early mss (Ì⁶⁶ א* B C* D L W al as well as several versional witnesses) do not have the words “If God is glorified in him,” while the majority of mss have the clause (so א² A C² Θ Ψ Ë¹³ 33 Ï lat). Although the mss that omit the words are significantly better witnesses, the omission may have occurred because of an error of sight due to homoioteleuton (v. 31 ends in ἐν αὐτῷ [en autw, “in him”], as does this clause). Further, the typical step-parallelism found in John is retained if the clause is kept intact (TCGNT 205-6). At the same time, it is difficult to explain how such a wide variety of witnesses would have accidentally deleted this clause, and arguments for intentional deletion are not particularly convincing. NA²⁷ rightly places the words in brackets, indicating doubt as to their authenticity.

[13:32]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “immediately.”

[13:33]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “You will seek me.”

[13:33]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “the Jews.” In NT usage the term ᾿Ιουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi) may refer to the entire Jewish people, the residents of Jerusalem and surrounding territory, the authorities in Jerusalem, or merely those who were hostile to Jesus. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9.) Here the phrase refers to the residents of Jerusalem in general, or to the Jewish religious leaders in particular, who had sent servants to attempt to arrest Jesus on that occasion (John 7:33-35). The last option is the one adopted in the translation above.

[13:33]  ⁴⁹ sn See John 7:33-34.

[13:33]  ⁵⁰ tn The words “the same” are not in the Greek text but are implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context.

[13:34]  ⁵¹ tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause gives the content of the commandment. This is indicated by a dash in the translation.

[13:34]  ⁵² sn The idea that love is a commandment is interesting. In the OT the ten commandments have a setting in the covenant between God and Israel at Sinai; they were the stipulations that Israel had to observe if the nation were to be God’s chosen people. In speaking of love as the new commandment for those whom Jesus had chosen as his own (John 13:1, 15:16) and as a mark by which they could be distinguished from others (13:35), John shows that he is thinking of this scene in covenant terminology. But note that the disciples are to love “Just as I have loved you” (13:34). The love Jesus has for his followers cannot be duplicated by them in one sense, because it effects their salvation, since he lays down his life for them: It is an act of love that gives life to people. But in another sense, they can follow his example (recall to the end, 13:1; also 1 John 3:16, 4:16 and the interpretation of Jesus’ washing of the disciples’ feet). In this way Jesus’ disciples are to love one another: They are to follow his example of sacrificial service to one another, to death if necessary.

[13:35]  ⁵³ tn Grk “All people,” although many modern translations have rendered πάντες (pantes) as “all men” (ASV, RSV, NASB, NIV). While the gender of the pronoun is masculine, it is collective and includes people of both genders.

[13:36]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “Jesus answered him.”

[13:37]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “I will die willingly for you.”

[13:38]  ⁵⁶ tn Or “Will you die willingly for me?”

[13:38]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”