It’s Good Friday, the night we recognize the Passover meal that was Christ’s Last Supper. His last evening with His disciples and His crucifixion. Today I want to spend some time in a passage of scripture from that evening, a passage I consider to be one of the most intimate, the most beautiful, and the most profound. John 13:1-35 when Christ washes His Disciples’ feet.
Verse by verse.
It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. John 13:1
Lets pause here for a minute and let those words roll over us. “Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” I want you to remember as we are reading this passage that this is His last night before the crucifixion. He is facing torture and death, and He knows it. The trial doesn’t start when He is betrayed. He knows these are His last moments before His sacrifice, every word is precious.
The Evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. John 13:2-5
It’s His last moments with them, and He knows what is about to happen, once more He knows that all things are in His power, He has a choice in how He is going to face this night.
How does He choose to face it?
He humbles Himself and washes the feet of both His friends and His enemies. Judas is also here. I wonder how He felt as He knelt before that man who was going to, in only hours, betray Him to His death.
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean. John 13:6-11
Oh Peter! He is so like us! He doesn’t understand! He is at first horrified to see his Lord sullying Himself by such a task, and wouldn’t allow it. But isn’t that as we are? We see our ugly places and we hide them from Him, we don’t want to see such beauty as He dirtying His hands with our mess. We are to ashamed to bring it to Him. But that was why He came, to wash us clean.
When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. John 13:12-17
Let me ask you something: Are you looking to serve or to be served in your life? Christ is our example, and He bent Himself down to serve. So often we are looking out only for ourselves, our own interests, desires, and comfort. We don’t mean to be selfish, we may even not be, but are we seeking, day by day, to lay ourselves down for those around us? Like Christ?
“I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture: ‘He who shared my bread has turned against me.’ “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am. Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I sent accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.” After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.” John 13:18-21
I wonder, did Christ grieve for Judas? I think He did, as He does for all who reject Him. Even in this moment, as He knew His betrayer sat with Him, I believe He was grieving over this soul that would be lost.
His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.” John 13:22-24
We tend to see Judas as a very evil man, but I’d like to point out, that other than his lack of repentance, he is no more to blame for what is going to happen than any of us are. It is each of our individual betrayals of God in our hearts, our sin and need, that put Christ on the cross. We have each of us, through our actions, grieved Him. Yet, just like with Judas, He would choose to wash our feet, and lay Himself down to die, in hopes for our salvation.
Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus answered, “It is the one whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor. As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night. John 13:25-30
I often wonder how the disciples could be so blind. So often in the days leading up to His death Christ told them exactly what would happen. Even here He tells them exactly what is happening, yet they don’t see or understand it until His resurrection. Are we not also like this? We are like little children who do not understand the great mysteries He is telling us.
When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of man is glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once. My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come. A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:31-35
I’m going to stop here, this post has already become a bit long, but these words are food and life! I encourage you to study His words. Every word is precious here, and it is so beautiful that one of the things that He thought was precious enough to speak of in His last moments was simply this: Love one another. Serve each other. Follow His example and lay down our very lives for each other.
Love one another.
~Joy Aletheia Stevens
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Photo Credit: by Waiting For The Word (CC BY 2.0)
Photo Credit: by Konrad Summers (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Thanks Joy, this is not only well written but really well presented, and a blessing for this Easter time.
Thank You! I hope you have a Happy Easter!