John 13 - ESV Gospel Transformation Study Bible

13:1–11 As Jesus prepares the disciples for the crucible of his death and the pain of his departure, what will they need? The same thing every generation of disciples need: not a pep talk, but a deeper understanding and experience of the gospel.

Jesus loved these men “to the end” (v. 1)—that is, to the completion of his work as the last Adam (1 Cor. 15:45–49); “to the end” that God will be glorified in the redemption of ill-deserving sinners; “to the end”—to the fullest extent. No one loves us like Jesus, and nothing will ever separate us from his love (Rom. 8:31–39). And his compelling love propels us into faithful service (2 Cor. 5:14).

The water and towel, with which Jesus humbly washed the disciples’ feet, clearly anticipate the humiliation of his cross and blood, by which he would wash their hearts. Peter’s adamant refusal (literally “never to eternity”; John 13:8) demonstrates our innate resistance to God’s grace. Peter wasn’t being noble; he was being foolish, even self-destructive. Unless we submit to the criticism of our uncleanness indicated by our need of the washing of Christ’s blood shed on the cross, we have no life in Jesus. Jesus is always more ready to meet us at the throne of grace than we are willing to meet him there.

13:12–20 Jesus is our substitute before he is our example. The imperative to wash one another’s feet flows out of the indicative of Jesus washing us by his grace. Are we free (and lovingly compelled) to wash one another’s feet in our services of worship? Of course we are; but only as a gospel reenactment of the grace we have received, and when such an expression is accompanied by a lifestyle of servant love. Ritual without humble recognition of and response to the reality of grace is vanity, only fueling sentimentality and self-righteousness.

Jesus is the servant of Yahweh (cf. Isa. 52:13–53:12) who did for us what we could never do for ourselves. Through our union with Jesus, and the encouragement of his love, we are set free to honor one another above ourselves, and to serve each other in humility (Phil. 2:1–11).

13:21–30 The troubling of Jesus’ spirit in the upper room (v. 21) was simply the firstfruits of the agony he would experience later that same evening in the garden of Gethsemane (Matt. 26:36–46). Earlier in his Gospel, John shared the legend of the healing waters of the pool of Bethesda (John 5:1–17). When the waters were “stirred up” (5:7; the same word translated “troubled” in 13:21), healing was reputedly given to the first person who stepped in (see esv footnote on 5:3). With Jesus, salvation is not merely reputed but is guaranteed for all who trust in him. All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Notice the stark contrast between John, the disciple who leans against Jesus’ side (13:23), and Judas, the disciple who betrays him unto death. Only sovereign grace can explain the difference.

13:31–35 The newness of the new commandment can be understood only in light of the finished work of Jesus. God has always called his people to a life of neighbor love (Lev. 19:18), reaffirmed by Jesus as the second great commandment (Matt. 22:36–40). But the new commandment presupposes a new paradigm. The greatness of Jesus’ love for us is now the motivation for our loving others. If we love Jesus truly and deeply, we will love what and whom he loves—the unlovely, the oppressed, those very different from us, and those whose actions have damaged us.

This confirming sign of our discipleship is not a badge of our commitment to Jesus; it is rather the beauty of Jesus’ commitment to us. Discipleship is not a program for which we sign up; it is a whole new way of life for which we have been raised up.

13:36–38 There is something comforting about seeing how slow the disciples were to understand Jesus’ teaching and how reluctant they were to own their brokenness. If Jesus could care for such as these, then there is hope for frail and faulty people such as we. Jesus is a patient teacher, and a most wonderful and merciful Savior. As in Peter’s life, Jesus not only foresees our betrayals; he also foresees our restoration.