In a careful reading of John 13:1-30, the author is clearly writing an historical narrative. There are time indicators: “Now before the Feast” and “During the supper” stated within the first 2 verses. John includes a theological proposition in verse 3 prior to describing the act of Christ in washing the disciple’s feet. There are hints of a betrayal positioned throughout the narrative culminating in the identification and expulsion of the traitor. A theme of “you are clean” “except your feet” to “not all of you are clean” runs consistently through the narrative. There are exhortations and admonitions of our Lord regarding “washing one another’s feet” and following His example. And there is also an apparent promise “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”” (John 13:20, ESV)
What role does this narrative play in this Gospel? Is there a main flow of thought that unites all these elements into a common theme? If there’s no common theme and flow of thought, then the passage acts something like a firecracker sending out fragments of light in various ways. To those who have some familiarity with this passage often hear sermons on servanthood, betrayal and even commissioning.
Within the passage there is great debate as to whether the meal in question is the Passover. This paper isn’t going to discuss that issue and it is assumed that the meal is indeed the Passover. It seems completely reasonable to me that John 13:1, in this transitory passage, it looks back summarily on the public ministry of Christ. “Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” (John 13:1, ESV). Now the author turns his attention to the Feast and the events that will take place: “During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose . . .” (John 13:2–4, ESV). It is the same meal.
TEXT: JOHN 13:1–30 (ESV)
CONTEXT
The most obvious observation that informs this passage is that it follows immediately after Jesus concludes His public ministry. There is an apparent division in the Gospel whereby John provides insight into Christ’s public ministry (Chapters 1-12) with the remainder of the Gospel focusing on His Passion. All of this is in view that John’s readers would “believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”[1] So it is probably with some purpose and intent that when Jesus identifies the betrayer in this passage, He Himself affirms: “I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he.” (John 13:19, ESV).
With the ending of the public ministry of Christ positioned prior to the text, we also note that the intimate ministry of Christ with His remaining Eleven commence at the end of the passage. It is there he enters a personal and intimate dialogue prefaced with these words: “When he had gone out, Jesus said . . .;”[2] and we read these tender words: “Little children, yet a little while I am with you.”[3] “Little children or τεκνίον in the Greek text, pronounced tek·nee·on. It was “used as a term of kindly address by teachers to their disciples.”[4]
The passage acts as a transition from Christ’s public ministry to His private ministry with the remaining disciples. “In the second major unit of John’s Gospel, Jesus prepared his messianic community (represented by the Twelve, minus Judas) for the time following his exaltation to the Father. I agree with Stephen Wellum where he writes, “The community was first cleansed literally (foot washing, 13:1–17), then figuratively through the removal of the betrayer (13:18–30).”[5] Don Carson will comment: “On the one hand, it is symbolic of spiritual cleansing (cf. especially vv. 8–10); on the other, it serves as a standard of humble service and therefore as a call to all of Jesus’ disciples to ‘wash one another’s feet’ (vv. 12–17).”[6] In the most general of ways I concede that this passage “serves as a standard of humble service” but such a statement lacks the specificity that the text demands.
ANALYSIS
The entire drama takes place as noted by the author “during Supper”. Keeping the idea of transition in mind whereby Christ’s love for His disciples is expressed so clearly (vv 31ff), it would seem natural for the author to remind us in verse 1 that the entire public ministry of Christ can be summed up this way: “having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.”[7] That sentence itself flows from past to future. The public ministry of Jesus will go down in history as “love for His own”; and this supper will go down in infamy as the “supper when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him.”[8]
Verse 3 is a theological statement. “Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God.” (John 13:3, ESV). This is the proposition that will commit Him to public execution. It was His message to Israel: “Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.” (John 8:42, ESV). It also puts in place the events which will transpire: “I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”” (John 16:28, ESV).
Verses 1, 2 and 3 are Past, Present and Future. Together they form an introduction to the drama that will follow. The presentation of the traitor is an ever-increasing revelation through this drama. There are four movements.
I - John 13:1–3 (ESV)
1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew
that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved
his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 During supper, when the devil had
already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father
had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was
going back to God,
II - John 13:4–11 (ESV)
4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments,
and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a
basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel
that was wrapped around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you
wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered him,
“What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.”
8 Peter said to him, “You shall
never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no
share with me.” 9 Simon Peter said to
him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” 10 Jesus said to him, “The one who
has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean.
And you are clean, but not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who
was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
III John 13:12–20 (ESV)
12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer
garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have
done to you? 13 You call me Teacher
and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and
Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an
example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a
servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one
who sent him. 17 If you know these
things, blessed are you if you do them. 18 I am not speaking
of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture
will be fulfilled, ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ 19 I am telling you
this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe
that I am he. 20 Truly, truly, I say
to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me
receives the one who sent me.”
IV - John 13:21–30 (ESV)
21 After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his
spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”
22 The disciples
looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. 23 One of his disciples, whom Jesus
loved, was reclining at table at Jesus’ side, 24 so Simon Peter motioned to him to
ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. 25 So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to
him, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this
morsel of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he
gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 Then after he had taken the
morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do,
do quickly.” 28 Now no one at the
table knew why he said this to him. 29 Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag,
Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or that he should give
something to the poor. 30 So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he
immediately went out. And it was night.
This segue in increasing measure to
the traitor seems intentional. One
should note that in verses 12-20, where many see Jesus’ exhortation to follow
his example in being a servant and doing good to one another, when you extract
the traitor motif, the narrative clearly points to disciples washing one another’s
feet in sanctifying cleansing, following by a blessing and a promise.
Verses 4-11 follow a well-established pattern for Christ in the Gospel of John. It was quite common for Christ to take an earthly custom or activity and transform it’s meaning into a spiritual lesson. From John 2, the wedding of Cana through to the feeding of the five thousand, Jesus taught through a means of cultural transubstantiation – the form being retained but the meaning changed. We know that because of this clue: ““What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.”[9]
In verses 4-11 the cultural habit of footwashing was viewed by our Savior as the sanctifying work of the Incarnate Word (see verse 10). The disciples are clean (i.e., justified) but as 1 John 1:9 reminds us, we need daily cleansing from daily experiences of earthly travel. Ephesians 5:26 (ESV) clarifies Christ’s desire for the Church, “26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word.”
The flow of thought as Wellum affirms is continual established on “cleansing” – cleansing of the individual, with the accompanying revelation of who the traitor is and the eventual cleansing of the group.
SUMMARY
John 13:1-30 form for us a transition from the public ministry of Christ to His private ministry to His disciples. Embedded in the narrative is the sovereignty of God, justification of the elect and the necessity of sanctification of those who truly belong to Him (“If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.”[10]). As Christ washed His disciple’s feet, His Church is called to wash one another’s feet. This is not just a general call to servanthood within the Body. This is a specific call to follow the example of Christ and serve one another through the washing of one another’s feet, that is, applying brotherly correction and cleansing through the application of the Word. With the call to exemplify Jesus, there is a blessing and the promise of His authoritative presence (confirm: Matthew 18:20).
Interspersed
within the narrative is the ever-increasing awareness of who the traitor is and
his ultimate expulsion. The cleansed group
is now ready to hear, “Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and
just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you
cannot come.’” (John
13:33, ESV).
[1] The Holy Bible:
English Standard Version. (2016). (Jn 20:31). Wheaton, IL:
Crossway Bibles.
[2] The Holy Bible:
English Standard Version. (2016). (Jn 13:31). Wheaton, IL:
Crossway Bibles.
[3] The Holy Bible:
English Standard Version. (2016). (Jn 13:33). Wheaton, IL:
Crossway Bibles.
[4] Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s
Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.
[5] Wellum, S. J. (2017). Incarnation and Christology. In E. A. Blum &
T. Wax (Eds.), CSB Study Bible: Notes
(p. 1693). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[6] Carson, D. A. (1991). The Gospel
according to John (p. 458). Leicester, England; Grand Rapids,
MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans.
[7] The Holy Bible:
English Standard Version. (2016). (Jn 13:1). Wheaton, IL:
Crossway Bibles.
[8] The Holy Bible:
English Standard Version. (2016). (Jn 13:2). Wheaton, IL:
Crossway Bibles.
[9] The Holy Bible:
English Standard Version. (2016). (Jn 13:7). Wheaton, IL:
Crossway Bibles.
[10] The Holy Bible:
English Standard Version. (2016). (Jn 13:8). Wheaton, IL:
Crossway Bibles.
