Reflection on John 13:1-30

John 13 starts with the so-called Last Supper which was the last dinner Jesus had with His disciples before He was arrested. Jesus spent precious intimate time with His disciples right before the approaching hour of His arrest and death. "It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He now showed them the full extent of His love."

Jesus lived in heaven before He came to earth to complete His mission to save His people. He was about to return to heaven to be with His Father. Our Lord Jesus has the people in this world that are His own. He has purchased them with a dear high price which is His own blood. He has set them apart for Himself. He loves them to the end. And at the Last Supper's table, Jesus showed His disciples "the full extent of His love." The Last Supper should be all about Jesus' love in its fullest expression. We can hear most clearly the intensity and depth of Jesus' love for His own people here in this verse. We definitely can see that Jesus showed His "full extent" love to His disciples by His humble act which was washing His disciples' feet.

"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." Jesus interrupted His own meal, took the form and demeanor of a servant to wash the stinky feet of His disciples. Jesus knew His Father "had put all things under His power, and that He had come from God". He knew full well who He was. But He humbly took on the appearance and service of a slave and washed His disciples' feet. Jesus set before His disciples the example as a servant-leader to train them. Jesus explained to them, "Now that I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you." Jesus linked His command with a promise, "Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them?"

We live in a world which is now considered acceptable and even normal for people to promote themselves, to praise themselves, and to put themselves first. Seeking power, prestige and renown is the priority for many. Pride is considered a virtue by many. Humility is considered a weakness on the other hand. When majority of the people are committed first of all to themselves, relationships are disintegrated. That is exactly what is happening nowadays, as marriages and families fall apart. People with gifts of leadership or unusual intellect feel too important to do some menial task. Back to Jesus' time, the situation wasn't that different, for even His disciples had argued over which of them would be the greatest in Jesus' kingdom. Luke recorded that they argued about that on this evening. But greatness in God's eyes does not come from having many servants, but from being the servant of many. Have we ever been asked to do a demeaning, lowly service? What thought went through our mind at the time? Do we ever desire to love others as Jesus does?

Now let us look at what Jesus did for His disciples. Let us feel the love Jesus poured into the relationship with His beloved ones who were His disciples. First, with calmness and majesty, in total silence, He rose from supper. Then Jesus laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. Finally Jesus poured water into a basin. If Jesus wanted to just "show" the image of a servant, He could have had a servant or one of the disciples do all the preparation work. He then would have quickly wiped a damp cloth on a few dirty feet and consider the job done. But Jesus didn't "show" the image of a servant. He was the image of the Servant. He totally humbled Himself to love His disciples despite the fact that His disciples treated Him badly. His disciples would forsake Him soon. Yet He loved them, with "the full extent of His love".

At the same time, "the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus." Jesus knew this. And He still washed Judas' feet. He showed Judas "the full extent of His love."  Even to Judas He fully expressed His love! Jesus loves His Father's image bearers to "the full extent", including the ones who respond to His love with gratitude and the ones who reject His love with denial or even betrayal. For those who reject Jesus' love, they don't like their Master to serve them like the Servant, because they decide that they don't want to be servants to anyone. They decide to serve themselves only. Judas was only one of them.

In fact, out of our sinful nature, no one likes to have the Servant-Master show us how to serve others. We don't want to be taught how to serve others. We often feel that it is an embarrassment to serve others. Seeing our respected ones serving others is even more unbearable. We can picture the disciples' increasing embarrassment and even shame as their Master took the place and task they considered beneath them. I have to admit that most of His disciples so highly respected Jesus that they felt the embarrassment. But Judas was different, he refused Jesus. When Jesus came to Simon Peter, the outspoken disciple, Peter responded with a mixture of reverence and shock by saying, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?" Jesus didn't explain much but simply told him, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand." The Lord asked Peter to trust Him even though he could not completely understand yet. But Peter didn't get it. He grew bolder in his ignorance. He refused to submit in obedience to Jesus. He insisted, "No, you shall never wash my feet." In Peter's response we see the pride and self-will that is at the heart of all sin. This is the problem which only can be solved by Jesus' blood. Jesus quickly broke Peter's resistance by replying, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me." This time, Peter got it since his greatest desire was to have a share with Jesus, to be with Jesus. So rather than miss anything, he wanted everything offered by Jesus. Peter cried out, "Then Lord, not just my feet but my hands and head as well!" I can image that Jesus was smiling when Peter surrendered completely. Our Lord comforted His disciples by giving them more insight into His act. He told them, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean." Peter and other disciples, except Judas, had clean bodies in the spiritual sense because they had faith in Jesus. In God's sight, they were already washed, in view of Jesus' work on the cross. However, they would continuously recognize sin in their daily life, and they needed to confess daily and ask for daily cleansing just like washing their feet. Here Jesus tells us that the true believer or disciple is washed clean as having had a bath when he receives Jesus Christ for His salvation. But when we grow spiritually and recognize sin in our daily life, we ought to do our daily care, to wash our feet, to cleanse ourselves from daily guilt, to watch against everything defiling. From God's pardon which was offered on the cross, we should be strengthened by Holy Spirit against daily temptation.

Jesus demonstrated "the full extent of His love" to the disciples in giving them a warning. He specifically warned Judas, "And you are clean, though not every one of you." Jesus had washed Judas' feet. Judas submitted to the foot washing without protest. He had walked around with Jesus for three years. But he was never a true follower. He never accepted Jesus in his heart. As he watched and listened to Jesus in irrigation and frustration, he began to feel deceived. It seemed not an advantage to follow Jesus. The authorities were against Jesus. Jesus and His disciples remained poor. Judas' rejection grew. Jesus knew the heart of Judas, and had watched the steady development of greed, unbelief in this man who spent so much time with Him and lived in the inner circle of Him. Judas was looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus. Jesus still decided to give Judas a chance to stop being hypocritical by showing allegiance to others and the Lord Himself. Judas obviously didn't take Jesus' warning seriously. Then Jesus revealed He will be betrayed by Judas. The Lord said, "I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the scripture: ‘He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me.’” Jesus spoke of fulfillment of prophecy in Judas' action. He also warned the disciples ahead of time to strengthen their faith when His prediction of betrayal came true. He said, "I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He." Jesus went ahead to encourage His true disciples by saying, "I tell you the truth, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me."

Jesus spoke of fulfillment of prophecy in Judas' action. He also warned the disciples ahead of time to strengthen their faith when His prediction of betrayal came true. He said, "I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He." Jesus went ahead to encourage His true disciples by saying, "I tell you the truth, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me." To accept the messenger is to accept the sender. To accept Jesus Christ is to embrace the only truth. Here we also need to be very careful not to confine our attention to Judas. The prophecy of his treachery may apply to all who partake of God's mercies and meet them with ingratitude. We are all quite capable of the worst sin. If we think otherwise, we are deluded and have no real idea how much we owe to the grace of God. Most of time, we probably are the hypocrites who profess to believe the Scripture, but will not govern ourselves by the Scripture.

After Jesus gave His disciples warning and encouragement, He was troubled in spirit and deeply agitated as He bears witness, "I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me." Jesus' anguish was caused by great love, "the full extent of love" He has for His disciples, including His betrayer. In His anguish we see the revealed effects of our sin on the heart of God, from the first rebellion in the Garden of Eden to the most recent sin you and I have just committed today. All sin is a rejection of God's great love. And "Jesus was troubled in spirit" when we sinned.

Jesus' disciples "stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them He meant." They didn't all swing around and look at Judas. They could not imagine who would do such a thing. According to Matthew 26:22, they were very sad and began to say to Jesus one after other, "Surely not I, Lord?" Peter was the leader of the disciples, he seemed want to deal with the betrayer himself. We can imagine Peter bursting to ask Jesus. But instead of speaking up he motioned to the disciple whom Jesus loved to ask Jesus. This person was said to be reclining next Jesus and apparently was John.  He simply leaned back against Jesus and 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." They must have had this conversation quietly. If Jesus fully unmasked Judas in front of other disciples, Judas would hardly have left that room alive.

Then, dipping the piece of bread, Jesus gave it to Judas, son of Simon. The giving of the dipped bread designated special honor, like a toast. Since Jesus was able to give the bread to Judas, it is likely that Judas was sitting near Jesus. And Jesus gave him food to pour out "the full extent" of love and grace upon him. If Judas loved Jesus as the other disciples did, he would be so touched by what Jesus did to him. His heart would have been melted by such grace. Jesus was trying to win Judas over, giving him the chance to repent. But John told us, "As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him." Satan was looking for a man to betray Jesus, and had probably been "cultivating" Judas for a long time. But now the choice was a done deal. Judas had chosen for Satan rather than for Jesus. He didn't pursue Jesus, he pursued his own agenda all the time. He finally joined those who opposed Jesus. He totally rejected Jesus because he was not satisfied with Jesus. He succumbed to his own rebellious nature and to the devil's influence. He loved his own life but only to find he lost it eternally.

When Jesus told Judas, "What you are about to do, do quickly", the Lord released Judas from His hands. Jesus was not commanding Judas to sin but rather allowing him to get on with what he was going to do. Jesus knew from the Scripture this would happen and it was time to happen. "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 Feast, or to give something to the poor." The disciples were ignorant of why Jesus was telling Judas to act quickly. No one, not even the beloved disciple knew the betrayal was upon them so soon. Again we see that the disciples had no suspicion of Judas. They trusted Judas. Otherwise they wouldn't have allowed him to singlehandedly handle their money. They innocently thought Judas was being sent forth on an errand for Jesus and his band. They thought Judas was acting as a servant who interrupted his own meal to serve others, as Jesus had just modeled. We must admit that Judas had been an excellent actor and a most accomplished hypocrite when we consider how long and how close he lived alongside the other eleven disciples. Apparently, none of them had any idea of Judas' feelings and plans. They considered him one of themselves and entrusted him with their money bag. But Jesus knew Judas from the beginning, He knew him completely. Yet Jesus loved Judas with "the full extent of" His divine love!

At the beginning of this chapter, John notes that "the time had come". At the end of this section, John notes that "it was night". "As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out" to betray his Creator and Provider. It was night, but far darker night in the soul of Judas than the dark night around him. There were never be another dawn for Judas. How sad was that!