2BeLikeChrist Bible Commentary John Chapter 13
Commentary - John Chapter 13
John 13:1
Joh 13:1 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.
What was the Passover?
The Passover was a Jewish feast celebrated annually to commemorate God delivering the Jews from Egyptian slavery (book of Exodus).
It was celebrated on the in the 1st month on the 14th day.
Exo 12:14 “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.
Before God delivered His people, He sent 10 plagues to punish Egypt.
The last plague killed all of the first born in Egypt.
But God made a way for His people to save their firstborn.
They were told to kill a lamb and paint its blood on their door post.
When God saw the blood, He would “pass over” their house and their firstborn would be spared.
I think the words at the end of verse 1 are some of the most beautiful in the whole Bible.
“…having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.”
Jesus’ death is right around the corner (in a few hours).
Typically when we approach a big event in our lives we draw in and focus our attention on ourselves.
But we are going to see Jesus loving and serving His Apostles in the last few hours of His life.
He loved them in the hours leading up to His death and that love was what carried Him to “the end,” the moment of His death.
If His resolve to love us had slipped at any point, He could have saved Himself from the cross.
John 13:2
Joh 13:2 During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him,
While Jesus and His Apostles were eating the Passover meal, John reveals Satan had already been successful in corrupting Judas’ heart.
We will see Judas betray Jesus in the upcoming verses.
He leaves the Passover early to conspire with the Jewish authorities.
Did Satan make Judas sin?
Was this a case of “the devil made me do it!”
No, that isn’t the way to interpret this verse and the Bible never leads us to believe Satan has the power to force us to do things against our will.
So, what does it mean that “the devil… put it into the heart of Judas.”
Consider the first sin:
Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden when the serpent came to Eve and planted an idea (a temptation) in her mind.
Eve had the choice to accept or reject the idea Satan had put into her head.
The same is true for Judas:
Satan put an idea in the mind of Judas, he knew he had a weakness for money, so he presented him an opportunity to make some.
It was up to Judas what to do with the idea Satan presented him with.
Would he cast it out of his heart and mind?
Or would he allow it to take root?
Unfortunately, Judas permitted Satan’s corruption to enter his heart and stay there.
John 13:3-5
Joh 13:3 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,
Joh 13:4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist.
Joh 13:5 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.
In chapter 12 we discussed Mary washing Jesus’ feet.
Back in those days, roads weren’t paved.
The roads were made from dirt and could be very dusty.
It was typical for a wealthy home owner to have a servant at the door to wash their feet and the feet of their guests when entering the house.
Here in chapter 13, Jesus who received honor from Mary in chapter 12, takes the position of the servant and washes His Apostle’s feet.
Jesus assuming the position of a servant is incredible considering what is revealed in verse 3:
Jesus had come from God.
Jesus was going back to God.
Jesus would soon be back in heaven unified and glorified with God.
Yet, He takes this lowly position, making Himself the servant of the Apostles, people He created.
This would have been contrary to everything the Apostles were familiar with.
The superior didn’t wash the feet of their inferiors.
Its also contrary to our current way of thinking, the superior is served by those under him/her.
John 13:6-11
Joh 13:6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?”
Joh 13:7 Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.”
Joh 13:8 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.”
Joh 13:9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!”
Joh 13:10 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.”
Joh 13:11 For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
When Jesus made it to Peter, Peter objected.
He couldn’t allow his Lord to wash His feet.
He was shocked at the scene in front of him.
Jesus tells Peter he isn’t going to be able to understand what He is doing now, but one day Peter would understand.
Peter continued to object.
Jesus tells Peter if the lesson He is teaching by washing their feet is so objectionable to him, he can’t be one of Jesus’ followers.
Upon hearing this, Peter immediately recants his objection and asks Jesus to wash, not only his feet, but his hands and head also!
Peter thought he was respecting Jesus’ honor by not allowing Him to wash his feet, but when Jesus told him it was essential, he was all for it.
I like this about Peter.
He may not have had all the details of Jesus’ ministry sorted out.
All he knew was he wanted to be a follower of Jesus.
And if that meant admitting what he just said was dumb, he would do it.
When I think about Peter and Paul, I usually consider them two very different personalities, but there are some similarities in these traits.
Being able to admit you were wrong is an important attribute to have if you want to be a follower of Jesus.
Jesus tells Peter it would be superfluous for Him to wash Peters whole body because he had already bathed and was otherwise clean.
Apparently Peter had decent hygiene 😊.
The Apostles may have been physically clean but they were not all spiritually clean.
One of them was planning to betray Jesus.
John 13:12-15
Joh 13:12 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?
Joh 13:13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.
Joh 13:14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.
Joh 13:15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.
When Jesus finished, He resumed His place at the table and asked the Apostles if they understood what He had just done.
They honored Jesus as their superior.
He was their Lord.
He was their Rabbi.
They knew He had come from God in heaven.
They knew He was greater than them.
Jesus didn’t tell them they were wrong, in fact, He confirmed He was greater than them.
But Jesus served them as though He was their inferior, their servant.
He told them His actions were intended to set the example.
As He had treated them, so they were to treat others.
No matter their rank in the eyes of men, they were to be servants to their fellow man.
Jesus served them by washing their feet but that was only part of His overall mission of service.
Jesus was preparing Himself for the greatest act of service ever.
He was going to die on the cross for the benefit of His inferiors.
SIDE NOTE:
Jesus even washed the feet of the man He knew would betray Him.
Judas was going to mistreat Jesus and He knew it as a fact, but Jesus’ knowledge of his future betrayal didn’t change the way Jesus treated Him.
APPLICATION:
Our suspicions of mistreatment often keep us from serving certain people.
Jesus was certain He would be mistreated and didn’t keep Him from serving certain people.
We can’t know ahead of time who is going to mistreat us.
But Jesus’ teaching about “turning the other cheek” is instructive in that it makes it clear we ought to treat others well even after they’ve mistreated us.
APPLICATION:
Jesus words and actions in this section of the text are not hard to understand.
It isn’t mentally challenging to imagine a greater man serving a lesser man.
But it is challenging to actually follow Jesus’ example.
For us to put aside our pride and serve.
That may be why Jesus includes the statement in verse 17, “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”
It is one thing to mentally grasp them.
But the blessing is in doing them.
John 13:18-19
Joh 13:18 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.’
Joh 13:19 I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he.
There was one among them to whom the blessings and words just spoken would never apply.
Jesus knew the 12 men He had selected.
He knew their character and their secrets.
And He could read Judas’ heart as He sat with Him eating the Passover.
Joh 6:70 Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.”
Judas’ betrayal had been prophesied in the Old Testament in a few places.
Here Jesus quotes from Psalm 41:9.
Psa 41:9 Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.
Jesus tells the Apostles about His upcoming betrayal so when it happens they will not be caught off guard, instead their faith will be increased.
SIDE NOTE:
If you know the rest of this story, you’ll know how the Apostles respond when they see Judas betray Jesus and He is taken away by His enemies.
Jesus just told them in the last chapter He was going to die.
Now He tells them He is going to be betrayed by one of the twelve men in the room.
But when it happens, their faith is rocked (not in a good way)!
APPLICATION:
Jesus told them things were going to be ok.
They were going to see some things that were odd to them, probably not what they had expected.
But ultimately, Jesus had the situation under control.
Jesus tells us, as Christians, everything is going to be ok.
There isn’t anything that can separate you from the love of God.
There isn’t anything that can happen to you where things don’t end up great for you in the end.
But in the heat of the moment, do we always remember Jesus’ perfect track record?
No, we often act like the Apostles, forget everything we’ve been told, and run scared.
John 13:20
Joh 13:20 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”
Verse 20 appears to return to Jesus’ teaching on serving one another.
Jesus was going to sent the Apostles into the world to share the message about His sacrifice on the cross.
They were going to be servants who mirrored the ultimate servant (Christ).
Those who heard the Apostles and accepted their message were accepting Jesus’ message and, in turn, accepting God’s message.
Mat 10:40 “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.
That is also true for us as we seek to be pictures of Christ to the world.
John 13:21-22
Joh 13:21 After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”
Joh 13:22 The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke.
Jesus returns to His betrayers.
He tells the Apostles one of the people sitting at the table will betray Him.
Interestingly, there is no indication the Apostles had any idea who among them was a fake.
John 13:23-26
Joh 13:23 One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus' side,
Joh 13:24 so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking.
Joh 13:25 So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?”
Joh 13:26 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.
Unlike many of the popular depictions of the Passover feast, Jesus and the Apostles were almost certainly not sitting in any kind of chair.
It was customary, especially at feast and celebrations, to lye down on one’s side while eating.
Couches/cushions were used for comfort and support and a large low table sat in the middle of all the guests.
Verse 23 refers to one of the disciples, not by name, but as the one “whom Jesus loved.”
This is the way John refers to himself in his gospel.
He probably did this out of humility.
Although there is no question Jesus had a special relationship with John.
John was one of the 3 Apostles who was privileged with seeing some things the other Apostles were not (like the Transfiguration).
John was next to Jesus as they were reclining around the table.
From some other seat around the table, Peter made a motion to John to get him to ask Jesus about the identity of the betrayer.
John leaned back and ask Jesus, “Lord, who is it?”
Jesus, evidently having a piece of bread in His hand, told John it was the individual who he would hand the piece of bread to after He had dipped it.
Jesus gave the bread to Judas Iscariot.
John 13:27-30
Joh 13:27 Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”
Joh 13:28 Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him.
Joh 13:29 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.
Joh 13:30 So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.
After taking the bread from Jesus, the text says, “Satan entered into” Judas.
I think this should be understood in the same sense as verse 2.
Satan entered into Judas by Judas’ permission, not against his will.
Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”
By this statement Jesus reveals to Judas He is aware of what he is about to do.
It’s shocking Judas still walks out of the room and goes forward with his plan.
It goes to show you can mentally acknowledge something in your head but the affection of your heart can lead you away from what you know is right.
Judas was in love with money and it made him act irrationally.
You might ask, how can a Christian whose rationality leads them to mentally acknowledge there is a God, fall into sin?
Answer: Because there is a difference between what the brain knows and the affections of the heart.
There is a difference between knowing stuff about God and loving God.
Why did Jesus tell Him to do it quickly?
There are all kinds of theories as to why Jesus told Judas to go through with it quickly.
Its hard to say for sure.
It may have just been because Jesus was ready to complete God’s work, He was about to go to the Garden of Gethsemane and pray, and then He would be prepared to endure the suffering of the cross.
The prophesied work of Judas was an essential part of God’s plan and the events of the crucifixion would not proceed without it.
The other Apostles didn’t understand why Jesus said this to Judas.
Judas was the Apostle who kept the bag of money.
Some suspected Jesus wanted him to go buy something they needed for the feast.
After taking the bread from Jesus, Judas left and went out into the night.
Why did John tell us it was “night”?
It may have been intended to communicate nothing more than the time of day.
But many suspect it is included for the symbolic meaning.
Jesus’ preaching and John’s gospel are filled with statements about light vs. dark.
Jesus was the light of the world.
Judas chose to leave Jesus’ presence and go out into the night.
He abandoned the safety of the light and he would stumble in the darkness.
John 13:31-33
Joh 13:31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.
Joh 13:32 If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once.
Joh 13:33 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.’
The time of Jesus’ death was at hand.
Judas would quickly gather Jesus’ enemies and bring them to arrest Him.
Jesus would draw all men to Himself when lifted up on the cross.
By his death, He would save the world, and God would be glorified in the redeeming work.
When Jesus’ death and resurrection were complete, He would ascend back to God and be glorified with the glory He had before humbling Himself to come to the earth (John 17:5).
Jesus uses the term “little children” as a term of endearment for his followers.
This may be where John picked it up.
He uses it 7 times to refer to Christians in the epistle of 1 John.
Jesus was about to leave them and they weren’t going to be able to follow Him.
He previously made a very similar statement to the Jews.
Joh 7:34 You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.”
In 13:33, I believe Jesus is talking about the first time He will leave them, His death, rather than His ascension back to God (based on verse 36-37).
Up to this point in His work, they had been able to follow Him, but this part was Jesus’ alone to finish.
John 13:34-35
Joh 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
Joh 13:35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
In what sense was this a new command?
Lev 19:18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.
This command was present in the Law of Moses, a law the Jews had been following for 1,500 years.
The first part was old but the second part was new.
They were to love one another.
But that command was given new meaning following the sacrifice of Jesus.
The world had never seen love like Jesus had for the world on the cross.
It had never had a standard so high.
It was a love that forever changed the definition of “love.”
The command Jesus gives the Apostles here is a call to an elevated understand of what it means to love someone in light of the purest display of love the world ever witnessed.
So, in that sense, it is new!
It was by learning to love each other like Jesus loved them that the world would know they were His disciples.
APPLICATION:
The mark of discipleship is love for one another.
Christians pride themselves on different strong points in their faith.
They elevate certain aspects of religious life.
You’ll find different denominations emphasize different things.
Local churches put priority on different things.
But are we as Christians and as churches known for loving one another?
That isn’t a debatable emphasis.
That isn’t up for discussion on the priority list.
This is another example of a teaching in this chapter that isn’t mentally challenging to understand but can be challenging to apply.
Loving one another takes:
Time
Emotional fatigue
Money
Personal inconvenience
Lack of sleep
Loving people well can be a full time job!
You could easily consume every second of your waking hours in the pursuit of loving others.
John 13:36-38
Joh 13:36 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.”
Joh 13:37 Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”
Joh 13:38 Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.
Peter wanted to know where Jesus was going that he couldn’t follow Him.
Jesus told Peter He couldn’t follow Him to where He was going but he would have the chance to follow Him again “afterwards.”
The fact that Jesus tells Peter he will have the chance to follow Him after His death is, in itself, an amazing display of love.
A short while after this conversation Peter, trying to save his own skin, denies knowing Jesus three times.
He turns his back on Jesus, but here Jesus’ words reveal He has already forgiven Peter in the future for his denial.
Peter then goes on to affirm, wherever Jesus is going, he will follow Him even if it costs him his life!
Upon hearing this, Jesus reveals to Peter what He is going to do in the upcoming hours.
