121. the Gospel of John—13:6-11

121. The Gospel of John—13:6-11

“Jesus Demonstrates True Humility” Pt.2

(11/1/20)

As we come to John chapter 13, we are less than 15 hours from the cross—but more specifically, chapters 13-17 cover a 6-hour period (roughly 6pm to midnight).

This was such an important 6-hour period that John spends one-quarter of his entire gospel recording it.

It begins in the upper room where Jesus and His disciples are celebrating the Feast of Passover and where He will be giving them one last teaching before His crucifixion.

In John 13–17 we have in essence our Lord’s “farewell message” to His disciples where He endeavors to comfort their hearts in the present but also to prepare their hearts for the future.

In His final exhortation to His disciples before His crucifixion—the Lord Jesus will be speaking to them and demonstrating for them what true greatness in the eyes of God is and how it is manifested in the lives of His people.

I have divided chapter 13 using this outline:

I. Jesus Demonstrates True Humility—v.1-17

II. Jesus Identifies His Betrayer—v.18-30

III. Jesus Unveils a New Commandment—v.31-35

IV. Jesus Prepares Peter for Failure—v.36-38

I. Jesus Demonstrates True Humility—v.1-17

John 13:1-2 (NKJV) 1 Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. 2 And supper being ended [actually, the correct translation seems to be, “during supper” or “as supper was in progress”], the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray Him…

➔ Mention what Luke records about this in Luke 22:1-6.

John 13:3-5 (NKJV) 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, 4 rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. 5 After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.

As we said last week, what led Jesus to stop in the middle of the Passover Seder with His disciples and start washing their feet was that they began to argue among themselves as to who was going to be greatest in the Kingdom they believed Jesus was about to establish (Luke 22:24).

This had been a running argument between the disciples throughout the Lord’s earthly ministry (Matthew 20:20-24)—

Matthew 20:25-28 (NKJV) 25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. 26 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. 27 And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave-- 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

And so, once again this argument erupted in the upper room as they were eating the Passover meal together.

And if that wasn't bad enough, Luke tells us that this argument broke out right after Jesus had declared—that one of them would betray Him!

Here they were less than 15 hours from the cross, the events of the next day were already weighing heavily upon Jesus—and all these men were thinking about was themselves!

Earlier Jesus had taught them the principle of greatness in God’s Kingdom thru His words (Matt.20:25-28)—now He demonstrates for them the principle of greatness by His example (John 13:4-17).

This is where the principle of greatness in God’s Kingdom intersects with true humility and servanthood.

You see, back in the first century AD—most people in the world traveled by foot.

And almost all of the roads and walkways were dirt unless it had rained—and then they would have been mud!

And since open-toe-sandals were the only form of casual footwear—it meant that when you traveled anywhere your feet would get extremely dirty.

And so, it was customary that every Jewish home had a pitcher of water, a basin and towel near the door for the washing of feet when someone entered their home.

If the family was “well-to-do”, when a person entered their home, one of their servants would immediately come and wash their guest’s feet as a courtesy and as an act of hospitality— especially if you were going to be reclining at a table to eat a meal together. (Explain)

If you were too poor to have a servant to wash your guest’s feet—then it became the responsibility of the host to wash their feet.

Wives often washed their husbands’ feet, and children washed their parents’ feet—however, most people had to wash their own feet.

But just so you understand—the washing of another’s feet in that culture was considered to be the lowliest and most menial task a person could perform—an act which required true humility.

Now when the disciples entered the upper room to eat the Passover meal—there was no servant present (or wives or children!) to wash feet.

The proper thing would have been for one of the disciples to have offered to wash the other’s feet or for each of them to have taken turns washing each other's feet.

That would have been the proper thing to do—but not likely to happen if the disciples were arguing among themselves—“Who was going to be the greatest in the Kingdom”!

So, Jesus (as the host) seeing what was going on and listening to them arguing among themselves as to who was the greatest—quietly stood up took off his outer robe and tunic, tied a towel around his waist like an apron (as a lowly servant would have been dressed), poured some water into a basin, knelt down and began to wash the disciple’s feet!

I can imagine how that room must have grown quickly still—and I think that first the disciples faces became flushed with embarrassment.

Then I believe that some of them may have begun to weep as they were overcome with sorrow and conviction at what was taking place.

John 13:6-7 (NKJV) 6 Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, "Lord, are You washing my feet?" 7 Jesus answered and said to him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this."

Jesus wants Peter to know that washing the disciple’s feet had a practical application—but there was also a spiritual significance attached to it as well.

Something that Jesus said Peter and the other disciples didn’t understand at that moment—but would someday.

It was only after Jesus died, rose and ascended back to the Father that the disciples would finally understand why Jesus really came to the earth—not to reign but to serve and die:

Matthew 20:28 (NKJV) 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

However, there was another spiritual principle that Jesus wanted to communicate to His disciples thru His actions that night—a principle that Peter introduced thru his response to Jesus wanting to wash his feet.

When Jesus came to Peter, he was horrified by his Savior and King wanting to wash his feet and he blurted out—

John 13:8 (NKJV) 8 … "You shall never wash my feet!"…

Peter did not understand what his Lord was doing—but instead of waiting for an explanation, he impulsively tried to tell the Lord what to do.

There is a strong double negative in Peter’s statement which, Greek scholar, Kenneth Wuest translated with the words, “You shall by no means wash my feet, no, never!”

Upon hearing this, Jesus said to Peter—

John 13:8 (NKJV) 8 …"If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me."

The word translated “part” is the Greek word meros—and it carries with it the idea of “participation”—"having a share in someone or something.” (“…you have no fellowship with Me.”)

John 13:9 (NKJV) 9 Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!"

“If that’s the case—give me a bath!!”

At this point, Jesus uses the illustration of ‘foot washing’ and taking a ‘full bath’ to teach a very important spiritual principle that all of us need to understand—let’s read:

John 13:10-11 (NKJV) 10 Jesus said to him, "He who is bathed [luo] needs only to wash [nipto] his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you." 11 For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, "You are not all clean."

The word translated “wash” in John 13:5–6, 8, 10, (also 12, and 14) is nipto and means “to wash a part of the body”—but the word translated “bathed” in John 13:10 is louo and means “to bathe all over.”

In that culture when a person took a bath (usually in the morning) and was cleansed completely, they called it ‘louo.’

But then, as they walked on dirt paths with open sandals throughout the day their feet would become dirty and would need to be washed as they entered someone’s home to eat and fellowship with them—this washing of their feet was referred to as ‘nipto.’

“When a sinner trusts the Savior, he is “bathed all over” (made completely clean thru the blood of Christ) and his sins are washed away and forgiven”—

Revelation 1:5 (NKJV) 5 …Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed [louo] us from our sins in His own blood,

However, as the believer walks thru this filthy, defiled world throughout the day—it is easy for our “spiritual feet” (our walk) with Jesus to become “dirty” or defiled.

When that happens, he or she doesn’t need to be fully “bathed” again (saved again)—they simply need to have their ‘feet’ washed.

In other words, they simply need to confess those sins so that that defilement is cleansed away and their fellowship (their walk) with the Lord is restored—

1 John 1:9 (NKJV) 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (“a foot washing”)

To the Jewish people the feet were the dirtiest part of the body because that was the part of the body that came in contact with the ‘world.’

And that’s why Jesus uses the idea of ‘dirty feet’ as the illustration of a ‘defiled walk’ from having contact with the world.

That’s why it’s so important that we keep our walk “clean”—because if we are defiled by the world, we can’t walk with the Lord and have communion with Him.

So, in that regard we must constantly confess our sins, repent and wash daily in the water of the Word (Eph.5:26)—which, if we will do, God promises He will honor and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1john 1:9).

When God “bathes us all over” in salvation, He brings about our union with Christ—and that is a settled relationship that cannot change.

The verb bathed in John 13:10 is in the perfect tense in the Greek and denotes ‘something that happened in the past, but the effects of which are ongoing now and forever’ (with regard to salvation).

However, our daily communion with Jesus depends on our keeping ourselves “unspotted from the world” (James 1:27).

The Christian life consists of one bath but many “foot-washings”.

Here in John 13, Jesus is using this practice that they were all familiar with to teach about spiritual cleansing thru the blood that Jesus was going to shed in about 12 hours on the cross.

When Peter discovered that to refuse the Lord from ‘washing’ his feet would mean to lose the Lord’s fellowship—he went in the opposite direction and asked for a complete bath!

John 13:10-11 (NKJV) 10 Jesus said to him, "He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you." 11 For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, "You are not all clean."

“You are clean, but not all of you” means that the disciples had received the “bath of regeneration” (salvation).

That is, all the apostles in that room that night had been washed from their sins and were truly children of God—all but Judas!

Judas was never saved—he was an imposter (John 6:64-71).

And yet none of the other apostles had the slightest idea that Judas wasn’t for real.

One author put it this way— “It appears that Judas was there when Jesus washed the disciple’s feet—what a picture of the Son of God who came down from heaven to serve and save all mankind even those who were His enemies.”

Jude 1:5 (NKJV) 5 But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.

This reminds me of people who start coming to church and it appears have been ‘delivered from the world’ by praying to receive Jesus as their Savior—and maybe even have some kind of religious or spiritual experience that makes it look like they’re saved.

But eventually go back to the old life (which for them isn’t ‘old’—it’s the only life they’ve ever known—their normal, fallen life).

2 Peter 2:20-22 (NKJV) 20 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. 21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22 But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: "A dog returns to his own vomit," and, "a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire."

Matthew 12:43-45 (NKJV) 43 "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. 44 Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation."

The lesson—not everyone who says “Lord, Lord” is going to make it into heaven (Matt.7:21- 23)—often a person is an apostate and doesn’t even realize it—like Judas!

And this is why we are commanded in Scripture:

2 Peter 1:10 (NKJV) 10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure…

1 Corinthians 11:31 (NKJV) 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.

Hebrews 10:37-39 (NKJV) 37 "For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry. 38 Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him." 39 But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.

Unfortunately, Judas was one who came to the “border” of salvation—but drew back to perdition (hell).

Before we continue looking at Judas (verses 18-30)—I want to focus on verses 12-17 next week and a message I’m entitling, “The Secret of a Happy Life.”