John 13:12-20

THE LESSON ON LOVING SERVICE

Text 13:12-20

12

So when he had washed their feet, and taken his garments, and sat down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?

13

Ye call me, Teacher, and, Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.

14

If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another's feet.

15

For I have given you an example, that ye also should do as I have done to you.

16

Verily, verily, I say unto you, A servant is not greater than his lord; neither one that is sent greater than he that sent him.

17

If ye know these things, blessed are ye if ye do them.

18

I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth my bread lifted up his heel against me.

19

From henceforth I tell you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he.

20

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

Queries

a.

Did Jesus establish foot washing as a commandment to be literally obeyed?

b.

How is the blessedness promised in John 13:17 to be experienced?

c.

What connection does John 13:20 have with this context?

Paraphrase

And when Jesus had finished washing their feet, He put on His outer cloak and reclined again at His place at the supper table, He began to teach them, saying, Do you know the meaning of what I have just done to you? You recognize and call Me, The Teacher, and, The Lord. This is what you should recognize and call Me, for this is Who I am! Here then is the lesson for youIf I, The Lord and The Teacher, perform the lowly but loving task of washing the feet of disciples and servants, you should lovingly condescend in like manner by humbly serving one another rather than disputing with one another over rank and position. I have washed your feet to give you an example to follow in performing loving acts of lowly service to one another. I say to you very plainly, If a lord is willing to serve in the most menial of tasks, so should a servant be willing thus serve for no servant is greater than his lord, neither is a person sent greater than the one who sends him. And, although you vocally acknowledge the truth of these lessons you will discover that real happiness and blessedness is enjoyed only when you are actually practicing them. I do not mean to infer of you all that you are hypocritical and assent to what is right but do not do it; or that you all are capable of deliberate and habitual neglect of known duty. I have chosen you twelve, and I know the character of every one of you, but there is one among you capable of such conduct. Now this was foretold in the Psalms, He that eateth my bread lifted up his heel against me, and the character and conduct of this evil one among you is in fulfillment of this prophecy. Now I am telling you that I know of his evil character and plan against me before his schemes are actually carried out so that when it is carried out you will recognize my divine omniscience and your faith in Me as the Son of God will be the more strengthened. So, I say to you most emphatically, when you see Me betrayed and apparently defeated do not be misled for in my extreme humiliation I am truly become Lord and Christ, and he who receives the one whom I send with the message of Christ crucified receives Me and he who will receive Christ crucified will receive the Father who sent the Christ to be crucified.

Summary

After the beautiful deed of loving service comes the divine instruction as to its meaning for those who will learn. With the instruction comes the promise of blessedness to those who will humbly serve one another in deeds of love.

Comment

Jesus finished washing their feet and resumed His place at the table. How many of the disciples had their feet washed we do not know. The verb translated sat down is the aorist of anapipto which means literally to fall back but is better translated reclined since that was the customary position for dining in that age. Reclining again on His couch at the supper table, Jesus takes immediate advantage of the foregoing preparation in the minds of His disciples and presents the lesson contained in His deed. This socially unorthodox action of a Teacher washing the feet of his disciples would attract the attention of even the most insensitive of the disciples as they argued about places of position and rank (cf. Luke 22:24).

Momentarily taken aback as their Lord stooped to wash their feet they began to wonder what had prompted such an unheard of action. Jesus asks the rhetorical question, Do you know the meaning of what I have just done to you? Then He answers His own question with a very precise and logical argument. He reminds His disciples of the respectful titles they have sincerely accorded Him, and in a marked, emphatic manner He accepts these titles as His rightful due. He tells them distinctly that He is indeed their Teacher, whose doctrine it is their business to learn, and their Lord, whose will it is their duty to obey. His humble act of washing their feet does not mean that He is ignorant of His Lordship or even that He has lowered or degraded His kingly dignity. To the contrary, He has really enhanced the dignity and greatness of His Lordship by this expression of loving service (cf. Matthew 20:25-28; Mark 10:42-45; Luke 9:48; Luke 22:26-27).

Now in John 13:14 comes the central point of His argument. If the Lord of glory, the Holy One of God (cf. John 6:69), can condescend to take the form of a servant and perform the most menial of tasks upon those so very far below Him, surely those who are actually the servants can render loving service to one another. This lesson is for us all! And how we need iteven within the kingdom of God, the church! So often trouble in the church comes because of jealousy over place and position. But those of the kingdom of God are not to be like the pagan world which spends all its energy seeking fame and fortune (cf. Matthew 20:20-28, etc.). When we are tempted to think of our dignity, our prestige, our place, our rights, let us see again the picture of the Son of God, girt with a towel, wash basin in hand, kneeling at His disciples-' feet. Let us have in us the mind of Christ (cf. Philippians 2:5-11).

The question inevitably comes up concerning John 13:14-15 whether or not these verses uphold the ritual of literal foot washing as observed in the history of the church past and present. Hendriksen points out that foot-washing was practiced on Maundy Thursday by the Church of Augustine's day. It was recommended by Bernard of Clairvaux in one of his sermons. The practice was continued by the pope at Rome and by emperors of Austria and Russia and by kings of Spain, Portugal, and Bavaria. For a while it was practiced by the Church of England and by the Moravians. It has been continued to this very day by certain Baptist and Adventist bodies. There are only two other places in the New Testament where washing of the feet is referred toLuke 7:38; Luke 7:44 (the sinner woman who washed Jesus-' feet with her tears) and 1 Timothy 5:10 where it is used figuratively to describe the lowly service to christian brethren in the past by widows needing the support of the church (cf. Paul's Letters to Timothy and Titus, by DeWelt, pub. College Press, page 99).

We believe Bro. Seth Wilson's essay, quoted previously, contains the most lucid comments on the subject of foot-washing we have read and we quote these comments herewith: Whenever washing one another's feet is an act of practical courtesy and helpfulness, that we can perform in a true spirit of simple love and humble service, we ought to wash one another's feet. But when it is of no practical helpfulness, when it is performed as a public religious ritual to display our humility, at special seasons, toward select persons, it does not seem to fit the pattern Jesus gave. -Ritualizing such an act of love absolutely destroys its meaning.-'

The Great Commission assigned to the apostles the task of teaching the believers to observe all things that Jesus commanded; but we have no teaching from them concerning foot washing as a ceremony in the church. They do teach, however, lowliness, subjection, and loving service (Romans 12:3; Romans 12:10; Romans 12:16; Galatians 5:13; Ephesians 4:2; Ephesians 5:21; Philippians 2:3-8; Colossians 3:12; 1 Peter 5:5, etc.). There is no indication in the way that Jesus did the act at the Last Supper that He was instituting a form of worship or making it part of His death. It is not an act of worship to God, but of service to man out of the right kind of a godly heart of humility and love. Even those who urge it as a perpetual ordinance in the church teach that it -symbolizes humility and service.-' Exactly so: Jesus gave a very striking example and symbol of that manner of conduct and attitude of heart that He wants us to have. He does not want us to repeat the symbol, but to practice the reality. His example was clear, and no command of His is more direct or authoritative.

John 13:16 adds more emphasis to the main point of the lesson. No servant is greater than his lord. etc. If the Christian's Lord is willing to perform the duties of a servant, the Christian (who is really the servant) should be willing to serve and not make position and prestige his aim.

John 13:17 contains both a warning and a promise. The warning implied is against knowing the right and failing to do it. The promise is definite that knowing the divine will which has been revealed both by precept and example we will find blessedness when we do what Jesus is teaching here. The true road to happiness and joy and blessedness is service motivated by love. Man was not created to be just a taker and never a giver. Man was created to give joy and honor to the heart of God. This is man's ultimate purpose and only when he is fulfilling that purpose by loving acts of service to God and man does he find joy and satisfaction of soul. Jesus said, It is more blessed (happiness) to give than to receive. There is a noticeable dissatisfaction, almost unhappiness, in some of the disciples before the resurrection of Christ when they were always seeking and waiting for the Lord to appoint them to places of earthly honor and prestige. They bickered with one another and were jealous of one another. But, notice the change in these men as evidenced in the book of Acts and their Epistles when they put into practice the teaching of Jesus here in John 13:17! They found joy unspeakable and full of glory. Jesus said it another way later when He said that bearing fruit would result in true godly joy (cf. John 15:1-11).

The blessedness of lowly service out of love is both objective and subjective. The objective blessedness must come before the subjective. That is, we must know that we have God's approval before we can feel joy and blessedness emotionally. That knowledge comes when we, as Jesus exhorts, do these acts of service because we then know we are living in accord with the Divine Will as objectively expressed in His written revelation. John expressed it later in his First Epistle when he wrote, All who keep his commandments abide in him, and he in them (1 John 3:24). The fourth chapter of I John is also an excellent commentary on the words of Jesus in John 13:17.

Thus when we do serve one another in love we know the blessedness of seeing godly fruit in the lives of those served; we know the blessedness of living in accord with the revealed will of God; then we can feel in our hearts the peace which passes understanding.

Jesus goes on (John 13:18) to inform those gathered there that night that there is one in their midst who is capable of knowing right and deliberately neglecting to do it, (see our Paraphrase on this section). There was one there who was sly and scheming. Pretending to be desirous of serving the poor (John 12:1-8) he was even then scheming to steal the money. While pretending to be a close friend of Jesus and accept His doctrine (eat His bread), he was scheming to betray (lift up his heel against) Him.

A. B. Bruce, in his Training of the Twelve, paraphrases this section in this manner: In hinting at the possibility of a knowledge of right, unaccompanied by corresponding action, I have not been indulging in gratuitous insinuation. I do not indeed think so badly of you all as to imagine you capable of deliberate and habitual neglect of known duty. But there is one among you who is capable of such conduct. I have chosen you twelve, and I know the character of every one of you. there is one among you who knows, but will not do; one who, having eaten bread with me as a familiar friend, will repay me for all my kindness, not by loving obedience, but by lifting up his heel against me.

There is more than one reason Jesus made this general prophecy of one very close who would betray Him. Primarily, as John 13:19 points out, the prophecy was made so that when it came to pass the disciples would have their belief in Jesus the more strengthened. Secondarily, it was another attempt by Jesus to penetrate the hardened heart of Judas and bring him to repentance. Again, the recording of the omniscient foreknowledge of Jesus was for man's benefit for all time. For those who will accept the testimony it shows that that which was happening was all within the eternal purpose of God. It was as Scripture said it would be ages before. Jesus and the Father both knew what was happening at all times. God was in control. Jesus was not the unfortunate victim of the schemes of men. He was not killed; He willingly chose to die and did lay down His life. He was not the victim but the master of circumstances.

Barnes has a note on John 13:18: These things have occurred in order that the prophecies may receive their completion. It does not mean that Judas was compelled to this course in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled, but that this was foretold, and that by this the prophecy did receive a completion. The prophecy is from Psalms 41:9 (cf. also 2 Samuel 9:7-13; Psalms 55:12-14).

In John 13:20 the Lord continues to look forward to the time when what He is prophesying concerning Judas-' betrayal will have come to pass and He anticipates the reaction of despondency and defeat by the disciples. Hendriksen points out the connection of John 13:20 with the context very well: ... when the disciples see their Lord delivered into the hands of his enemies, let them not despair. Let them not think, -Now it is all over, not only with him but also with us, his followers.-' On the contrary, everything continues just as it was. Nay rather, the very facts of the humiliation confirm his authority and the validity of their commission. An ambassador of -Christ Betrayed, Condemned, and Crucified,-' is still a true ambassador; in fact, he is the only true ambassador.

When the eternal plan of God is carried outwhen Christ is betrayed, crucified and risen, and when the disciples go out to preach Christ crucified and raised (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:1-31), whoever receives them and their message receives Christ and the Father. But whoever rejects them and their message of Christ crucified and raised, rejects the Father and His omnipotent plan of redemption. The point is, that a betrayed and crucified Christ is within the plan of God. Jesus was completely aware of this. He now forewarns his disciples against the dark hours of the coming days. John 13:20 is not a disconnected afterthought of Jesus but is well within the context of the teaching He is now giving His disciples. They should not only serve with all lowliness and humility, but they will have a message of a crucified Saviour which the world will look upon as lowly, weak and humiliating. They will need their faith in the omnipotence of Christ increased!

Quiz

1.

How would Jesus have sat down at the supper table?

2.

What is the main line of argument presented by Jesus to teach the disciples about humility?

3.

Give three reasons why foot-washing seems not to be commanded by the Lord as an ordinance for the church's observance.

4.

Give two ways we may know the blessedness provided in John 13:17.

5.

Why did Jesus foretell the betrayal of Judas (3 reasons)?