In today’s study our titles are; Verses 1-20 Jesus washes his disciple’s feet. Verses 21-30 Jesus foretells his betrayal. Verses 31-35 The new commandment. Verses 36-38 Peter’s denial foretold. John 13 and verse 1 reads.
John 13:1] Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.
This word Passover is Pascal in Greek, the same word mistranslated as Easter in Acts 12. This is actually considered the thirteenth day of Abib. At evening when the sun goes down, the fourteenth day begins. They kill the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day. Let’s go to Exodus 12 and verse 5 reads.
Exo.12:5] Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
[6] And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.
In verse 1 it also states that Jesus loved his own. Let’s go to the most beautiful prayer for his children in John 17 and verse 9 reads.
John 17:9] I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
[10] And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.
Remember he says he is glorified in them, we’ll come back to his glory in a little while.
John 17:11] And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
[12] While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.
Fulfilled in 2Thes.2:3. Satan is the son of perdition.
John 17:13] And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
[14] I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
God’s Elect are not of this world, but chosen out of this world. Back to John 13 and verse 2 reads.
John 13:2] And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him;
To fulfill prophecy, Judas was chosen for betrayal. Whether or not he volunteered, doesn’t matter, he repented. If our sins are not forgiven on repentance then I teach in vain. Let’s go to Psalms 51 and verse 1 reads.
Psa.51:1] Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
Drop down to verse 9 and it reads.
Psa.51:9] Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
And in Isaiah 44 and verse 22 reads.
Isa.44:22] I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.
And finally, in 2Peter 3 and verse 9 reads.
2Pet.3:9] The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
All this to show you not to judge Judas, for as you judge Judas so shall you be judged. Back to John 13 and verse 3 reads.
John 13:3] Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;
The Father has given to the Son the power to raise himself up. Let’s go to John 2 and verse 19 reads.
John 2:19] Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
Back to John 13 and verse 4 reads.
John 13:4] He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.
This simply means he took off his outer garments.
John 13:5] After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.
What Jesus is doing represents washing the sins of the world off his disciples. We pick up sins, dirt, by simply walking through this world.
John 13:6] Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?
[7] Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.
Peter is a little nervous of Jesus washing his feet, he just doesn’t understand, only Jesus can make us clean before God by repentance. Jesus said I’ll explain in a minute.
John 13:8] Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.
The metaphor is this, Christ blood on the cross is our only cloak of our sins before the Father.
John 13:9] Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.
[10] Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.
When your sins are forgiven, they are blotted out as if they never existed. But not all refers to Judas.
John 13:11] For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.
[12] So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?
He had said above that he would explain in a minute.
John 13:13] Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.
[14] If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.
There are many churches that wash others feet because of these verses. This is not what is being said here, and I would not like to wash any of your feet.
John 13:15] For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.
Forgive others as I have forgiven you. For if you don’t forgive others, then neither do I forgive your sins. Mat.6:12. Let’s go to Philippians 2 and verse 4 reads.
Phi.2:4] Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
[5] Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Back to John 13 and verse 16 reads.
John 13:16] Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.
[17] If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.
Happy means; Blessed. Let’s go to James 1 and verse 25 reads.
James 1:25] But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
Back to John 13 and verse 18 reads.
John 13:18] I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.
Jesus is speaking again about Judas. I have said that Judas was chosen to fulfill scripture. Let’s go to Psalms 41 and verse 6 reads.
Psa.41:6] And if he come to see me, he speaketh vanity: his heart gathereth iniquity to itself; when he goeth abroad, he telleth it.
Judas was a thief and carried the money bags for the twelve.
Psa.41:7] All that hate me whisper together against me: against me do they devise my hurt.
Jesus allowed Satan to enter into him.
Psa.41:8] An evil disease, say they, cleaveth fast unto him: and now that he lieth he shall rise up no more.
Notice that it says, Say they. People even say that Judas is the son of perdition in 2Thes.2:3, this is a lie, it is Satan. It is written that Judas was cut from his Adams apple down to his belly button and all his entrails fell out on the ground. Acts 1:18. Now, why we came here.
Psa.41:9] Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.
Judas fulfilled prophecy. Back to John 13 and verse 19 reads.
John 13:19] Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he.
Notice his Holy Name, I Am. Isaiah 7:14 Emmanuel, God with us.
John 13:20] Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
They were Apostles, Sent ones. When they receive you, they receive Jesus. When they receive Jesus, they receive the Father. We are called by his name, Christians.
John 13:21] When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.
[22] Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake.
They could not believe that any of them would betray Jesus.
John 13:23] Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.
Leaning on Jesus’s bosom simply means that they were sitting on the same side of the table, and one must lean forward to be seen. This one that Jesus loved was John. Humbly, he doesn’t mention his own name.
John 13:24] Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake.
Peter asked John to ask Jesus who would it be.
John 13:25] He then lying on Jesus’ breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it?
It is John who asked, who is it?
John 13:26] Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.
[27] And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.
Now the Pharisees and the high priest were not going to take Jesus at the Passover because they feared the people. But this is the LORD’s will, this is what is written. It is Judas that will help make this happen. Notice it is at this time God allowed Satan to enter into Judas.
John 13:28] Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him.
[29] For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor.
Judas was in charge of the money bag that he carried for all.
John 13:30] He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night.
[31] Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him.
We studied this in the last chapter, let’s do it again. That the LORD has glorified Jesus, and he will glorify him again. Let’s look at this word Glory. It is G1391 and means; Majesty, 1. a thing belonging to God. 2. the kingly majesty which belongs to him as supreme ruler, majesty in the sense of the absolute perfection of the deity. 3. a thing belonging to Christ. The kingly majesty of the Messiah. The absolutely perfect inward or personal excellency of Christ; the majesty. In other words, it belongs to God the Father until Jesus is Glorified through the crucifixion, in which it then belongs to Jesus. Remember above when Jesus said he will be glorified through them in John 17:10.
John 13:32] If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him.
This is the Glory of the LORD, that Jesus will be Glorified by his crucifixion and Salvation will be given to the world for those who love him. Now, see how tender John writes.
John 13:33] Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you.
[34] A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
The New commandment is to love one another.
John 13:35] By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
Let’s go to 1John 2 and verse 4 reads.
1John 2:4] He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
[5] But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
[6] He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
[7] Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.
In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. John 1:1.
1John 2:8] Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.
[9] He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
[10] He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
1John 2:5 above says we are in him, Jesus Christ.
1John 2:11] But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.
[12] I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.
We can take away from this that Jesus is love, and we are to have Jesus in our hearts. With Jesus in our hearts there is no room for hatred. For whosoever believes on him will have eternal life. Back to John 13 and verse 36 reads.
John 13:36] Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards.
Jesus has already told them that he would be crucified and on the third day he would rise again and meet them in Galilee. But Peter can only think of the here and now.
John 13:37] Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake.
Because it would be preventing the Word from coming to pass exactly as it is written. This will hurt Peter very much, but for our sakes, Peter will endure.
John 13:38] Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice.
Jesus is the Living Word, and the Word just said he would deny him three times before the cock would crow. This will happen, just remember Peter means; Rock, and the LORD will build his church on this man Peter. Let’s go to his throne.
Father, we thank you for your word and ask that you bless all that love you in Jesus’s precious name, Amen.
KJV along with The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of The Bible