Jesus began His farewell address (cf. Moses, Deut. 31-33; Joshua, Josh. 23-24; Paul, Acts 20) with an object lesson.
"In the Synoptic account of the events of this evening we read of a dispute among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. John does not record this, but he tells of an action of Jesus that rebuked their lack of humility more strikingly than any words could have done."425
The emphasis in verses 1-3 is on what the Lord knew, and in verses 4-5 it is on what He did.
13:1 This verse contradicts the Synoptic accounts of the Passover (e.g., Mark 14:12) only if it introduces everything in chapters 13-17. Evidently it introduces only the account of foot-washing that follows.
"As the first Passover had been the turning point in the redemption of the people of God, so the Cross would be the opening of a new era for believers."426
The word "world"(Gr. cosmos) is an important one in this section of the Gospel where it appears about 40 times (ch. 13-17). The world represents the mass of lost humanity out of which Jesus has called His disciples and from which He would depart shortly when He returned to heaven. Jesus loved His own who believed on Him who would remain in the world. He loved them to the end (Gr. eis telos) or utmost, the demonstration of which was His sacrificial death on the cross. "The end"can also refer to the end of Jesus' earthly life, though this interpretation seems less fitting.
Jesus' realization that His hour had come (12:23) led Him to prepare His disciples for that hour and what it would mean for them. The double emphasis on love sets the tone for the whole Upper Room Discourse.
13:2 The supper (Gr. deipnon) in view was the evening meal (v. 30). It was a Passover meal. Jesus evidently washed the disciples' feet just after the meal had been served (vv. 4, 26). The fact that Jesus washed Judas' feet after Judas had determined to betray Him shows the greatness of His love (v. 1). John's reference to Satan's role in Judas' decision heightens the point even further.
13:3-5 Jesus washed the disciple's feet fully aware of His authority from the Father, His divine origin, and His divine destiny. John's mention of this awareness stresses Jesus' humility and love still further. Washing feet in such a situation was the role of the most menial of servants (cf. 1:27).427Here Jesus reversed normal roles and assumed the place of a servant rather than that of a rabbi. His act demonstrated love (v. 1), provided a model of Christian conduct (vv. 12-17), and symbolized cleansing (vv. 6-9). Jesus even dressed Himself as a slave (cf. Phil. 2:6-7). His humble service would take Him even to death on the cross (Phil. 2:8). Normally a servant would have been present to perform this task, but there were none present in the upper room since it was a secret meal. The disciples did not want to wash each other's feet since they had just been arguing about which of them was the greatest (Luke 22:24).
"We today, just like the disciples that night, desperately need this lesson on humility. The church is filled with a worldly spirit of competition and criticism as believers vie with one another to see who is the greatest. We are growing in knowledge, but not in grace (see 2 Peter 3:18). Humility is the only soil in which the graces root,' wrote Andrew Murray.428
13:6-7 Most of the disciples remained silent as Jesus washed their feet, but Peter could not refrain from objecting. The Greek construction of what he said stresses the contrast between Jesus and himself. Jesus encouraged Peter to submit to having his feet washed with the promise that he would understand later why Jesus was washing them (cf. vv. 12-20). As the disciples did not understand that Jesus would die, they did not understand either the lessons that led up to His death. They would understand after He arose and the Holy Spirit enlightened their minds.
13:8-9 This promise did not satisfy Peter who objected to Jesus' act in the strongest terms. Peter viewed the situation as totally unacceptable socially. Jesus' replied on the spiritual and symbolic level. He was speaking of spiritual cleansing, as the context clarifies. Peter understood Him to be speaking on the physical level. If failure to submit to Jesus' washing meant the termination of their relationship, Peter was willing to submit to a more thorough cleansing. Peter's words reflect his impetuous nature and his high regard for Jesus as well as his failure to understand and his self-will.
13:10-11 Jesus distinguished the two types of spiritual cleansing that believers experience, forensic and family forgiveness. When a person believes in Jesus as Savior, God removes all the guilt of that person for sins committed in the past, present, and future (cf. Rom. 5:1; 8:1; et al.). Jesus spoke of this forensic or legal forgiveness as a total bath (Gr. louo). After a person believes in Jesus as Savior, he or she commits sins and those sins hinder the believer's fellowship with God (cf. Matt. 6:12, 14-15; Luke 11:4; et al.). Jesus compared this family forgiveness to washing (Gr. nipto) the feet, which become dirty while walking through life. Therefore Jesus was illustrating the importance of believers obtaining spiritual cleansing from God periodically when He washed the disciples' feet. We obtain this cleansing by confessing our sins to God (1 John 1:9; cf. 1 John 2:25; 5:13). The basis for both types of forgiveness is Jesus' work on the cross.
Other views are that the foot-washing was symbolic of the complete cleansing that had already taken place or would take place. They are less probable since Jesus said that Peter already had experienced a spiritual bath but still needed his feet washed.
The unclean disciple was Judas who had not believed that Jesus was God's Son. Jesus' washing Judas' feet, therefore, was not a lesson in believers' securing spiritual cleansing but an offer of initial cleansing for him. There is nothing in the text that would warrant the conclusion that Jesus omitted washing Judas' feet.
13:12 Jesus now returned to His role as the disciples' teacher, which His change of clothing and physical position indicated. He began to explain the significance of what He had done, though full comprehension would come to the disciples later (v. 7). His question prepared them for the lesson that followed.
13:13 "Teacher"translates the Hebrew "Rabbi"(Gr. didaskalos) and "Lord,"the Aramaic "Mari"(Gr. kyrios). The title "Lord"took on deeper meaning after the Resurrection as Christians began to understand better who Jesus is (cf. 20:28; Acts 2:36; Phil. 2:9-11). Both titles were respectful and acknowledged Jesus' superiority over His disciples.
13:14-15 Jesus had given the Twelve a lesson in humble service of one another. Specifically He took a lower role than theirs for their welfare. Similarly Jesus' disciples should willingly and happily put meeting the needs of others before maintaining their own prestige (cf. Phil. 2:1-11).
"The world asks, How many people work for you?' but the Lord asks, For how many people do you work?'"429
Some Christians believe that Jesus' command here is binding on the church in a literal sense. They practice foot-washing as an ordinance of the church along with water baptism and the Lord's Supper.430Most Christians believe that Jesus meant that His disciples should follow His example of serving humbly rather than specifically washing each other's feet. Nowhere else in the New Testament do its writers treat foot-washing as another ordinance.431Moreover the attitude of humility that disciples should have toward one another was Jesus' point, not simply the performance of a ritual (cf. 15:20; Matt. 10:24; Luke 6:40). Furthermore Jesus called foot-washing an example (Gr. hypodeigma, pattern) implying that there are other examples of the same attitude. This was an appropriate example of humble service in a culture where people wore sandals and soiled their feet easily. If Jesus was giving an example in modern North American culture, He probably would have selected another humble act.
13:16 Jesus again introduced a statement with a strong asseveration to indicate its importance. He put it in the form of an aphorism (cf. 15:20; Matt. 10:24; Luke 6:40; 22:37).432By common consent slaves occupy an inferior role to that of their masters, and messengers (Gr. apostolos) do the same to those who send them.433Jesus was contrasting roles, not essential worth. His point was that no disciple of His should think it beneath him or her to serve others since He, the master and sender, had humbled Himself to serve.
Jesus had repeatedly referred to the fact that the Father had sent Him and that He had come from the Father. Likewise He would send the disciples (20:21).
13:17 Knowing what one ought to do and really doing it are frequently two different things. Jesus promised God's favor on those who practice humble service, not on those who simply realize that they should be humble (cf. 8:31; 12:47-48; Heb. 12:14; James 1:22-25).434
"There is a form of religious piety that utters a hearty Amen!' to the most stringent demands of discipleship, but which rarely does anything about them."435
13:18-19 Again Jesus limited what He had said to those disciples who truly believed on Him (v. 10; cf. 6:71; 12:4; 13:2). He made this statement so that when the disciples would later remember His words they would not think that He had been mistaken about Judas. Instead they would believe that Jesus was "I am,"connoting deity (Exod. 3:14; Isa. 41:4; 43:10; cf. John 8:24, 28, 58). He wanted the disciples to believe His claims before His crucifixion apparently invalidated them and before His resurrection confirmed them.
Jesus chose Judas as one of the Twelve to fulfill Psalm 41:9. The Son of David experienced treason from a close friend as the original David had. Perhaps the betrayer of David in view was Ahithophel, who also committed suicide (2 Sam. 15:12; 16:15-23; 17:3-4, 14, 23). Betrayal by one who had received table hospitality was especially heinous in the ancient Near East. Lifting up the heel against someone was probably a way of saying that one had walked out on his friend.436Other possibilities are that the expression derived from the lifting up of a horse's hoof preparatory to kicking,437or it alluded to shaking off the dust from the feet (cf. Luke 9:5; 10:11).438
13:20 Another strong asseveration underlined the statement that followed. In view of Jesus' claim to be the "I am,"the disciples needed to appreciate that they enjoyed an intimate relationship with Jesus as His messengers. This relationship was similar to the one that Jesus enjoyed with His Father (cf. 5:19). Jesus was preparing them for the Great Commission (20:21; cf. v. 16). He was also warning Judas of the greatness of the sin that he anticipated committing.
