John 13 - NIV Application Bible

13:1–5 As the meal is being served, Jesus demonstrates the depth of his love for his followers. The task of foot washing was so menial that Jewish slaves were exempt, and the job was kept for Gentile slaves. We never find those with a higher status washing the feet of those beneath them. When Jesus takes off “his outer clothing” and wraps a towel around himself (v. 4), he is adopting the posture of a slave.

13:1–38 The focus of the first half of John is on the signs of Jesus—evidences of his identity borne by miraculous works. The focus of the second half of John is on the hour. Jesus now must say farewell to his followers and begin his return to the Father through his arrest, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. In v. 1 Jesus recognizes that “his hour” has come to depart out of the world, and he focuses his attention on “his own,” whom he has loved.

13:6–9 Peter reflects how shocking the deed must have seemed. Jesus is not simply giving them a lesson in humble service; he is doing something that symbolizes his greater act of sacrifice on the cross. Peter continues to object in the most strenuous way, and Jesus’ rebuke is carefully worded. “If I do not wash you . . .” means that the question is not simply one of washing, but a question of who does the washing. Peter must participate in the work of Jesus (vv. 8–9). He lacks a cleansing that only Jesus can supply.

The foot washing symbolizes something more than a gesture of fellowship. Only the death of Jesus (and its acceptance by the believer) brings eternal life.

13:9–11 Peter concludes that if foot washing gains an inheritance with Jesus, what would a thoroughgoing “washing” gain? The cleansing work of Jesus—foot washing, symbolizing spiritual cleansing on the cross—is complete in itself; therefore, Peter does not need to pursue more.

The curious return to the subject of Judas in vv. 10b–11 indicates that Jesus’ work of foot washing has not changed Judas’s heart. The fact alone that Jesus washed Judas’ feet is stunning and is a testimony to Jesus’ patience and love for his followers (even for the man who betrays him).

13:12–15 Jesus provides a discourse explaining what he has just done. Jesus’ sacrifice will be the supreme token of his overwhelming love for the world. Jesus now wants his followers to exemplify that same love to one another.

13:16–17 Jesus’ proverb in v. 16 echoes well-known words from the Synoptic Gospels. Servants should not consider themselves to be greater than their masters; if this is so, what is applicable to the master (sacrifice) is likewise applicable to the servant.

13:18–19 Jesus’ interpretation returns to thoughts of Judas (vv. 18–19). This builds the impression that Judas’s betrayal weighs heavily on Jesus. Jesus knows each of these men now with him in the room. There have been no surprises after so many years together in ministry. Jesus wants each of them. Jesus’ citation of Ps 41:9 (v. 18) underscores the personal affront that this betrayal meant. To “eat bread” is a cultural symbol that refers to personal intimacy, and to expose the bottom of the foot is another symbol of personal contempt.

13:20 Jesus returns to his subject of the servant and the master. As servants are obligated to reflect the work of their masters in every respect, so too such servants enjoy the respect and the authority that comes from working in their master’s name.

13:21 This is the third and final time we read that Jesus is “deeply troubled.” His words predicting his betrayal were firmly fixed in the Gospel tradition. John records a story unlike any other.

13:22–25 Since the disciples are eating a traditional Passover meal, it is necessary for them to recline. The Beloved Disciple enjoys a place of honor, seated on Jesus’ right. This explains how he can easily lean back and place his head near Jesus’ chest and speak to him privately. Peter is not as near and so must call to the Beloved Disciple. Judas likewise has a place of honor near Jesus because Jesus can dip bread into a common dish and serve the morsel to him.

13:26–29 Jesus promptly serves Judas, which the other disciples could have taken as a simple honoring gesture for Judas. If so, it is particularly ironic since this gesture of respect is the last thing Jesus can do for Judas, and it compares with Judas’s last gesture of betrayal in the garden.

At this point, Satan controls Judas’s fate, and Jesus dispatches him to pursue the course he has set for himself. The story implies that John understands everything going on in the room, though the other disciples may not have (v. 28).

13:30 The departure of Judas is at “night.” The darkness of night represents the antithesis of Jesus, who is the light. Therefore, Judas represents a person John described in 3:19.

13:31–32 With the departure of Judas Iscariot, Jesus speaks directly of his glorification. Throughout Jesus’ life of perfect obedience, God has been honored. Jesus’ glory occurs when God’s glory radiates through him.

The supreme place where this divine radiance will be visible will be on the cross. This future glorification is not some distant event at the end of time or in heaven. The series of events will unfold at the end of this momentous week: Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension.

13:31–38 Jesus is now left with “his own” to give them his final instructions. He encourages his disciples and comforts them. He also urges them to be obedient. Moreover, Jesus promises that his Spirit will indwell and empower his followers following his death.

13:33 This verse is a crucial thought for the farewell discourse. He is departing so that he can prepare for their arrival. His desire is not to abandon them but to enjoy their fellowship forever.

13:34–35 Jesus’ statement in these verses is dramatic. Disciples are to reflect a love expressed through committed obedience.

But the word “new” may mean something more (v. 34). This “new command” may be a signal that Jesus is talking about life in a new era—a messianic era. In that era, love must characterize his followers: a love patterned on the generous, loving act of God that saves his people.

13:36–38 Peter is eager to be with Jesus even if it costs him his life, and his words echo the language of the Good Shepherd. Jesus goes on to prophesy that Peter’s nerve will fail at the last moment. His good intentions to lay down his life, uttered so bravely, will not hold when confronted with genuine danger. Peter’s eventual death (“but you will follow later,” v. 36) will come up again in 21:18–19.

✜ 13:1–38 Communicating Jesus’ command to love was one of John’s foremost concerns. The problem with this verse is that it may be impossible to order someone to love. Unless one has a profound experience of being loved, expressing profound love for another is virtually impossible.

Nothing so astonishes a fractured world as a community in which radical, faithful, genuine love is shared among its members. There are many places we can go to find communities of shared interest, people just like ourselves who enjoy sports or music or gardening or politics. But it is the mandate of the church to become a community of love, a circle of Christ’s followers who invest in one another because Christ has invested in them. Believers are to exhibit love not based on the mutuality and attractiveness of its members but on the model of Christ, who washed the feet of everyone (including Judas).