Discovery BoxJohn 13:5-38
Context13:5 He poured water into the washbasin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to dry them with the towel he had wrapped around himself. 1
13:6 Then he came to Simon Peter. Peter 2 said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash 3 my feet?” 13:7 Jesus replied, 4 “You do not understand 5 what I am doing now, but you will understand 6 after these things.” 13:8 Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet!” 7 Jesus replied, 8 “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” 9 13:9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, wash 10 not only my feet, but also my hands and my head!” 13:10 Jesus replied, 11 “The one who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, 12 but is completely 13 clean. 14 And you disciples 15 are clean, but not every one of you.” 13:11 (For Jesus 16 knew the one who was going to betray him. For this reason he said, “Not every one of you is 17 clean.”) 18
13:12 So when Jesus 19 had washed their feet and put his outer clothing back on, he took his place at the table 20 again and said to them, “Do you understand 21 what I have done for you? 13:13 You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and do so correctly, 22 for that is what I am. 23 13:14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you too ought to wash one another’s feet. 13:15 For I have given you an example 24 – you should do just as I have done for you. 13:16 I tell you the solemn truth, 25 the slave 26 is not greater than his master, nor is the one who is sent as a messenger 27 greater than the one who sent him. 13:17 If you understand 28 these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
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, 29 ‘The one who eats my bread 30 has turned against me.’ 31 13:19 I am telling you this now, 32 before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe 33 that I am he. 34 13:20 I tell you the solemn truth, 35 whoever accepts 36 the one I send accepts me, and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.” 37
13:21 When he had said these things, Jesus was greatly distressed 38 in spirit, and testified, 39 “I tell you the solemn truth, 40 one of you will betray me.” 41 13:22 The disciples began to look at one another, worried and perplexed 42 to know which of them he was talking about. 13:23 One of his disciples, the one Jesus loved, 43 was at the table 44 to the right of Jesus in a place of honor. 45 13:24 So Simon Peter 46 gestured to this disciple 47 to ask Jesus 48 who it was he was referring to. 49 13:25 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved 50 leaned back against Jesus’ chest and asked him, “Lord, who is it?” 13:26 Jesus replied, 51 “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread 52 after I have dipped it in the dish.” 53 Then he dipped the piece of bread in the dish 54 and gave it to Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son. 13:27 And after Judas 55 took the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. 56 Jesus said to him, 57 “What you are about to do, do quickly.” 13:28 (Now none of those present at the table 58 understood 59 why Jesus 60 said this to Judas. 61 13:29 Some thought that, because Judas had the money box, Jesus was telling him to buy whatever they needed for the feast, 62 or to give something to the poor.) 63 13:30 Judas 64 took the piece of bread and went out immediately. (Now it was night.) 65
13:31 When 66 Judas 67 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, 68 God will also glorify him in himself, and he will glorify him right away. 69 13:33 Children, I am still with you for a little while. You will look for me, 70 and just as I said to the Jewish religious leaders, 71 ‘Where I am going you cannot come,’ 72 now I tell you the same. 73
13:34 “I give you a new commandment – to love 74 one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 75 13:35 Everyone 76 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, 77 “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!” 78 13:38 Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? 79 I tell you the solemn truth, 80 the rooster will not crow until you have denied me three times!
[13:5] 1 tn Grk “with the towel with which he was girded.”
[13:6] 2 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Peter) is specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:6] 3 tn Grk “do you wash” or “are you washing.”
[13:7] 4 tn Grk “answered and said to him.”
[13:7] 5 tn Grk “You do not know.”
[13:7] 6 tn Grk “you will know.”
[13:8] 7 tn Grk “You will never wash my feet forever.” The negation is emphatic in Greek but somewhat awkward in English. Emphasis is conveyed in the translation by the use of an exclamation point.
[13:8] 8 tn Grk “Jesus answered him.”
[13:8] 9 tn Or “you have no part in me.”
[13:9] 10 tn The word “wash” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Here it is supplied to improve the English style by making Peter’s utterance a complete sentence.
[13:10] 11 tn Grk “Jesus said to him.”
[13:10] 12 tn Grk “has no need except to wash his feet.”
[13:10] 14 sn The one who has bathed needs only to wash his feet. A common understanding is that the “bath” Jesus referred to is the initial cleansing from sin, which necessitates only “lesser, partial” cleansings from sins after conversion. This makes a fine illustration from a homiletic standpoint, but is it the meaning of the passage? This seems highly doubtful. Jesus stated that the disciples were completely clean except for Judas (vv. 10b, 11). What they needed was to have their feet washed by Jesus. In the broader context of the Fourth Gospel, the significance of the foot-washing seems to point not just to an example of humble service (as most understand it), but something more – Jesus’ self-sacrificial death on the cross. If this is correct, then the foot-washing which they needed to undergo represented their acceptance of this act of self-sacrifice on the part of their master. This makes Peter’s initial abhorrence of the act of humiliation by his master all the more significant in context; it also explains Jesus’ seemingly harsh reply to Peter (above, v. 8; compare Matt 16:21-23 where Jesus says to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan”).
[13:10] 15 tn The word “disciples” is supplied in English to clarify the plural Greek pronoun and verb. Peter is not the only one Jesus is addressing here.
[13:11] 16 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:11] 17 tn Grk “Not all of you are.”
[13:11] 18 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[13:12] 19 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:12] 20 tn Grk “he reclined at the table.” The phrase reflects the normal 1st century Near Eastern practice of eating a meal in a semi-reclining position.
[13:12] 21 tn Grk “Do you know.”
[13:13] 23 tn Grk “and I am these things.”
[13:15] 24 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] 25 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[13:16] 26 tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 4:51.
[13:16] 27 tn Or “nor is the apostle” (“apostle” means “one who is sent” in Greek).
[13:17] 28 tn Grk “If you know.”
[13:18] 29 tn Grk “But so that the scripture may be fulfilled.”
[13:18] 30 tn Or “The one who shares my food.”
[13:18] 31 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] 32 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] 33 tn Grk “so that you may believe.”
[13:19] 34 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] 35 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[13:20] 36 tn Or “receives,” and so throughout this verse.
[13:20] 37 sn The one who sent me refers to God.
[13:21] 38 tn Or “greatly troubled.”
[13:21] 39 tn Grk “and testified and said.”
[13:21] 40 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[13:21] 41 tn Or “will hand me over.”
[13:22] 42 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] 43 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] 44 tn Grk “was reclining.” This reflects the normal 1st century practice of eating a meal in a semi-reclining position.
[13:23] 45 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] 46 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] 47 tn Grk “to this one”; the referent (the beloved disciple) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:24] 48 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:24] 49 sn That is, who would betray him (v. 21).
[13:25] 50 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the disciple Jesus loved) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:26] 51 tn Grk “Jesus answered.”
[13:26] 52 sn The piece of bread was a broken-off piece of bread (not merely a crumb).
[13:26] 53 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] 54 tn The words “in the dish” are not in the Greek text, but the presence of a bowl or dish is implied.
[13:27] 55 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:27] 56 tn Grk “into that one”; the pronoun “he” is more natural English style here.
[13:27] 57 tn Grk “Then Jesus said to him.”
[13:28] 58 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] 60 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:28] 61 tn Grk “to him”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:29] 62 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] 63 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[13:30] 64 tn Grk “That one”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:30] 65 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] 66 tn Grk “Then when.”
[13:31] 67 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:32] 68 tc A number of early
[13:32] 69 tn Or “immediately.”
[13:33] 70 tn Or “You will seek me.”
[13:33] 71 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] 72 sn See John 7:33-34.
[13:33] 73 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] 74 tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause gives the content of the commandment. This is indicated by a dash in the translation.
[13:34] 75 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] 76 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] 77 tn Grk “Jesus answered him.”
[13:37] 78 tn Or “I will die willingly for you.”
