John 13:1-11 Served by the King

Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, got up from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself. Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. So He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?” Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.” Peter said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “ If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.” John 13:1-11

Background

The setting was the Feast of the Passover that commemorates the faithfulness of God during the time of Moses when the angel of death passed over the houses with blood on its doorposts. The blood came from the Passover lamb that was sacrificed to preserve the lives of those in the house. Jesus was that Passover Lamb that was sacrificed for the sins of humanity. Jesus gave an object lesson on love, what it meant and how the disciples should serve one another with the spirit of love and servitude.

Observation

1.  Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. Jesus knew that His time had come for Him to suffer on the cross. Jesus loved the disciples and there was nothing that He would not do for them.

2.  Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands… God has given all authority into Jesus’ hands and He had the freedom to do whatever He desired. And at the same time, the devil had taken full control over Judas who was about to betray Him. What Jesus did in this episode displayed the profound wisdom and the value system of God. As all authority had been given to Him, He had every right to be served by His disciples. Yet He stripped off His garment and put on the garment of a bondservant and washed the disciples’ feet. He could have exposed Judas as the traitor and punished Him. Despite having all authority, we see Jesus conforming to the will of the Father and being unjustly treated.

3.  “Never shall You wash my feet!” Peter was hesitant in allowing Jesus to wash his feet, but Jesus told Peter that he would understand after being served by Him. Jesus also said that unless Peter allowed Him to wash his feet, he would not be able to partake of the value system of the Kingdom: “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” The washing of feet symbolizes the act of care by putting the interest of others before our own.

4.  “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” Peter suggested for Jesus to wash his hands and head as well; an over the top response towards Jesus’ offer. Jesus took this opportunity to send a warning to Judas who had decided to betray Him: “… and you are clean, but not all of you.”

Truth

1.  Because God loves His children to the fullest extent, there is nothing that He would not do for us. Romans 8:32 says, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” Hence, let us be confident and patient when we present our requests to God that He has heard us and is making plans to give us the very best.

2.  God entrusts His authority to us when we are ready to obey and remain faithful to Him. Authority is earned when one is proven faithful and obedient in the face of temptations. God entrusted full authority to Jesus because He has chosen to love and forgive when He was betrayed; and the way of humility and servitude despite being given all authority. And most of all, He obeyed the Father and died for the sins He never committed.

3.  We cannot give something that we have yet to receive. Unless we are loved unconditionally and sacrificially, we cannot do the same for others. Unless Peter was ministered by Jesus who humbled Himself as a servant, he would not be able to humble himself to serve others. Hence, Jesus told Peter that he could not be His disciple unless he has the same spirit of love and servitude as the Master. The way to obtain that spirit is to be served first by the Master Himself. As aspiring disciples in the church, it is important that we must acquire the spirit of the humble Servant to serve others without expecting anything in return.

4.  Do not give up on the hardest of sinners, but continue to admonish and pray for them. Jesus did not give up on Judas even after the devil had possessed him. He spoke to Judas without shaming him in front of the other disciples: “you are clean, but not all of you.”

Application

1.  Concerning our prayer requests to God, it is important that we receive assurances that God has heard our prayers. At the same time, we must trust God to allow His will to be done in our lives. Hence, we should keep asking God until we receive a response from Him. But if we don’t hear anything from God, it could also mean that we have not entrusted the matter fully to God and be open to His perspectives.

2.  What are the areas in your life that you are currently struggling with? Are these struggles a matter of personal discipline: addictions and habits? Or are they issues of the heart: bitterness, pride, and greed? Or a matter of mindset: destructive decision making patterns, a tendency to escape from life’s problems? Seek out those who are mature to help you deal with the above issues. In due time, God will entrust more of His authority to you so that you could build His Kingdom.

3.  Seek out those who believe in you and who is able to bring out the best in you. We need to surround ourselves with people who love and serve one another in humility. Only with the support of a loving community, can we find the strength to grow and to reach out to the people around us.

4.  Set aside time in solitude so that you can be ministered by the Spirit of Christ. As Jesus served and ministered to His disciples, the Holy Spirit is seeking to minister to you today with love and humility. Unless we are first ministered by the King, we cannot minister to others effectively.

Dear Lord, thank You for hearing all my prayers and making plans to fulfill them in Your time. Help me to be patient and trust that You know what is best for me. Help me to overcome my struggles and issues concerning my heart, my personal discipline and behavioral patterns. Come and minister to me so that I could in turn minister to others. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.