The Washing by Jesus
Notes
Transcript
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.
And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him,
Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God,
rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself.
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.
Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?”
Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.”
Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”
Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!”
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.”
For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, “You are not all clean.”
So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?
You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am.
If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.
Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.
If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
Intro:
Intro:
AG:
TS:
RS:
The Passover feast (13:1)
The Passover feast (13:1)
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.
Jesus gathered with His chosen 12 for His final Passover before the Crucifixion
Passover- Thursday night after supper
They celebrated annually as a memorial of the 1st Passover
‘So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance.
Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.
On the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation for you. No manner of work shall be done on them; but that which everyone must eat—that only may be prepared by you.
So you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this same day I will have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance.
In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening.
For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses, since whoever eats what is leavened, that same person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land.
You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.’ ”
Jesus gathered with His disciples to keep that feast
It was a memorial, and also pointed to Jesus
Philip will later explain to the Ethiopian Eunuch Isaiah 53:7
He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.
Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.
He is our Passover Lamb!
Loved His own to the end
end- perfection
God loves the world (3:16) and sinners
But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared,
All Jesus did was out of love
He loved them with compassion and common grace
However, His Own - believers- He loves with His saving perfect love.
He loves believers specifically
He knows us and chooses to love us no matter what
The plot (13:2):
The plot (13:2):
And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him,
Satan influences Judas to betray Jesus.
Judas never was a true disciple
He was treasurer and embezzled funds
He hung onto Jesus for what was in it for himself
We see here a tragic truth
He hung out with Jesus
He heard Jesus’ teachings
He witnessed Jesus’ miracles
In spite of all that, his focus was on the here and now and his own selfish ambition
Satan put into Judas’ wicked heart what he already desired, the death of Jesus with an angle to enrich himself.
The tempter doesn’t have to impose and implant foreign ideas which override our true desires...
He uses the wicked desires of evil men and women against them
Like alcohol, all he needs to do is remove our inhibitions
softly whispered promptings which feed our egos and push us to do what we already long to do
The particulars (13:3–5)
The particulars (13:3–5)
1. Jesus wraps a towel around his waist and pours water into a basin (13:3–5a).
Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God,
rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself.
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.
He humbled Himself
MacArthur Study Bible NASB (Commentary)
The dusty and dirty conditions of the region necessitated the need for footwashing.
Although the disciples most likely would have been happy to wash Jesus’ feet, they could not conceive of washing one another’s feet.
This was because in the society of the time footwashing was reserved for the lowliest of menial servants. Peers did not wash one another’s feet, except very rarely and as a mark of great love
This act of love done in humility took place in the context Luke mentions
Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest.
2. He begins washing their feet (13:5b).
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.
The protest (13:6–11)
The protest (13:6–11)
1. Peter (13:6–8a):
Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?”
Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.”
Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”
This action was embarrassing to the disciples
Peter is recorded as voicing His objections
Always impulsive
Perhaps he was the spokesman for the rest
They surely had the same thoughts
2. Jesus (13:8b):
Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”
“If I don’t wash you, you won’t belong to me!”
His actions also serve as a symbolic act of spiritual cleansing
Jesus uses the needed physical washing as a picture of the greater spiritual cleansing He would make possible on the cross.
Sin must be cleansed
unless the Lamb of God cleanses our sin, we can’t have any part in Christ.
3. Peter (13:9):
“Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!”
Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!”
Always taking things to the next level, Peter says wash all of me!
4. Jesus (13:10–11):
“A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet.”
John 13:10–11 (NKJV)
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.”
For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, “You are not all clean.”
MacArthur Study Bible NASB (Commentary)
The cleansing that Christ does at salvation never needs to be repeated—atonement is complete at that point.
But all who have been cleansed by God’s gracious justification need constant washing in the experiential sense as they battle sin in the flesh.
Believers are justified and granted imputed righteousness (Philippians 3:8, 9), but still need sanctification and personal righteousness (Php 3:12–14)
Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ
and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
Not all are clean
Jesus mentions Judas, “not all are clean”
Judas would soon lead the mob to arrest Jesus.
The pattern (13:12–17):
The pattern (13:12–17):
The disciples should do for others what he has just done for them.
So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?
You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am.
If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.
Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.
If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
This act of love by Jesus serves as an example to all of us
It is a model of christian humility
Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
It is a model of christian service
We should serve each other.
He established the model of loving humility which should characterize our life.
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.
For each one shall bear his own load.
Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches.
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
Concl
Concl
The Outline Bible (Section Outline Thirteen (John 13))