Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:
(John 13:1) Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.
At the end of the last chapter, Jesus had had His final discourse with the people. Now, knowing His time was very short, He would spend the rest of His time with His disciples whom He loved and would demonstrate that love to the very end of His life, and actually beyond.
(2) And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray Him;
Now had come the time for the Passover Feast, the Lord's Last Supper. "Being ended" was not the correct translation of the original "ginomai." It meant more properly "having been made" or "having come into existence." So the feast had been prepared, and by that time, the devil had put it into Judas Iscariot's heart to betray Jesus. John keeps going out of his way to tell us Judas was Simon's son. I'm not sure why, other than the fact Simon Iscariot must have been well known by the readers at the time John wrote his gospel account, as I can find no other information about him.
(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) He rose from supper and laid aside His garments and took a towel and girded Himself.
Jesus, even knowing that God had given Him all Godly power and that He was sent by God and would return to God, humbled Himself and rose from the table, laid aside His garments, and wrapped a towel around His waist as an apron.
(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.
Jesus then poured water into a basin and began washing His disciples' feet and He then wiped them dry with the towel He had wrapped around His waist. This was the ultimate act of humility and love He would show to His disciples while He was still living.
(6) Then He came to Simon Peter, and Peter said to Him, "Lord, do You wash My feet?"
When Jesus came to Peter, Peter stopped Him, asking if He intended to wash his feet, apparently feeling unworthy of having His Lord wash his feet.
(7) Jesus answered and said to him, "What I do, you do not know now, but you will know afterward."
Jesus told Peter that He did not understand what Jesus was doing for him at present, but He would later know, as Jesus would explain it to them all when He was finished washing all their feet.
(8) 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."
Peter told Jesus he could never allow His Lord to demean Himself to such a lowly task as washing his feet. However, Jesus told him that if He didn't wash him, Peter could have no part in Him.
(9) Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, not my feet only, but also hands and head!"
At that, Peter then asked the Lord to not only wash his feet, but his hands and head, too. He wanted to be as much a part of His Lord as possible, and even more so.
(10) Jesus said to him, "He who is washed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean, and you are clean, but not all."
Jesus responded that if one was washed and clean, he only needed his feet washed; there was no need to clean his whole body again. He told His disciples that they were clean, but then added that not all were clean. With that, He surely meant Judas Iscariot, who would betray Him.
(11) For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, "You are not all clean."
Indeed, John then told us what Jesus had meant when He said they were not all clean. He referred to the unclean heart of Judas who would betray Him.
(12) So after He had washed their feet and had taken His garments and had sat down again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you?"
After Jesus had washed all His disciples' feet, He put back on His outer garments and sat down again. He asked the disciples if they understood the meaning of what He had just done for them.
(13) "You call Me Master and Lord, and you say well, for I am. (14) If I then, Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. (15) For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you."
Jesus acknowledged that His disciples called Him Master and Lord, and He admitted that He was. If their Lord and Master lowered Himself to serve them by washing their feet, then they should do likewise. Jesus had given them an example of how they should treat one another, never considering it beneath them to do any such menial task but do as He had done.
(16) "Verily, verily, I say to you, the servant is not greater than his lord, neither he who is sent greater than he who sent him."
Jesus's point was that if He, Lord and Master, humbled Himself to serve in the most menial way, then they should not think themselves too good to do such tasks, as that would be setting themselves up as greater than their Lord and Master. Neither is the one sent out, as a disciple or a messenger, to think of himself as greater than the one who sent him. If the one who sent him, in this case, Jesus sending out His disciples, was so humble as to perform menial service for His disciples, then they should do the same, as they certainly weren't greater than Jesus.
(17) "If you know these things, happy are you if you do them."
Jesus added that if His disciples knew these things, which now they did, they would be happy and blessed if they did them. It gives one great joy to do for others, and especially as they are doing it for their Lord.
(18) "I do not speak of all of you. I know whom I have chosen, but that the scripture may be fulfilled, 'He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.'"
Jesus said that He did not speak these things to all of them. He knew all the disciples He had chosen, and He knew that Judas would betray Him, but it was necessary for him to be chosen to fulfill God's purpose. It also fulfilled the prophecy in Psalm 41:9, which said, "Yes, My own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, who did eat of My bread, has lifted up his heel against Me." As an unruly horse might kick up its heels and throw its rider, so Judas would trip up and remove Jesus.
(19) "Now I tell you before it comes that when it has come to pass, you may believe that I AM."
Jesus told His disciples that He was telling them what would happen before it happened, that when it did happen, they would know that He was the Messiah and the Great I AM, Lord God of the universe.
(20) "Verily, verily, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me."
Jesus told them most assuredly that as He sent them out, whoever received them and their word as taught them by Jesus, received Him even though He would no longer be with them. And whoever thus received Him in that way was also receiving God Himself. They should be comforted and strengthened by the knowledge that they would be doing the work of Jesus and people would be saved by their preaching and teaching just as if it had been Jesus doing it, because the people who received and believed their word were receiving Jesus and therefore also receiving God.
(21) When Jesus had thus said, He was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, "Verily, verily, I say to you that one of you will betray Me."
After Jesus had spoken these things, He became troubled in His spirit, knowing that one of His beloved disciples was going to betray Him. He told His disciples plainly and directly that one of them would betray Him. Not merely because of what was about to happen to Him, but probably grieved for Judas's soul that he would betray Him, Jesus may have been giving Judas warning that He knew what he was going to do, perhaps so he could repent from it.
(22) Then the disciples looked at one another, in doubt about whom He spoke.
The disciples began looking at each other, wondering which one of them it could be who would betray Jesus.
(23) Now there was leaning on Jesus's bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. (24) Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom He spoke.
Leaning on Jesus's chest was a disciple whom He loved. We know from all such scripture references that that disciple was John himself, the author of this gospel account. He confirmed it in John 21:24. Peter gestured to John to ask Jesus who the disciple was who would betray Him.
(25) He then lying on Jesus's breast, said to Him, "Lord, who is it?" (26) Jesus answered, "He it is to whom I shall give a sop when I have dipped it." And when He had dipped the sop, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, of Simon.
John, still reclining against Jesus, asked Him who it was of whom He spoke. Because they were so close, it must be that Jesus only quietly told John, as the disciples do not seem to know as the evening progresses. He told John that it was the one to whom He would give a bite of food to after He dipped it. Then He dipped a bite and gave it to Judas.
(27) And after the sop, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus said to him, "What you do, do quickly."
Immediately after Jesus passed the bite to Judas, it is written that Satan entered Judas. From verse 2 we learned that Satan had already put the plan to betray Jesus in Judas's heart, but he now must have possessed him to press onward with his plan. Jesus told Judas to go ahead and do what he planned quickly. He once again let Judas know that He knew what he was planning.
(28) Now no man at the table knew for what intent He spoke this to him. (29) For some thought because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said to him, "Buy what we have need of for the feast," or that he should give something to the poor.
No man at the table knew what Jesus had meant when he spoke to Judas. Some of them thought that because he held the money bag, Jesus may have told him to go buy things they would need for the feast, as it lasted seven days, or perhaps He had told him to go give something to the poor. You would think that John knew. He surely knew that Jesus had meant that it was Judas who would betray Him, but I suppose John didn't know why Jesus was sending him out, and may have decided to just trust Jesus's plan, and keep the secret.
(30) He then having received the sop, went immediately out, and it was night.
After he had received the bite from Jesus and Jesus had directed him to do what he planned to do quickly, he immediately went out. It was night by this time.
(31) Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in Him."
After Judas had left, Jesus said to His other disciples that the time had come for Him to be glorified. Things had been put into motion and His death was sure and imminent. He would be glorified in that horrific death when He fulfilled His purpose to provide salvation for the world. God was glorified in what Jesus did as it was His plan for salvation that Jesus fulfilled.
(32) "If God is glorified in Him, God shall also glorify Him in Himself, and shall immediately glorify Him."
If God was glorified in Jesus, which He was, then God would also glorify Jesus in Jesus Himself. Jesus was the Messiah and deserving of all honor and glory. Jesus was God and deserving of glory, as He would later pray to His Father in John 17:5, "And now, O Father, glorify Me with Your own self with the glory which I had with You before the world was." Jesus would be glorified as God, the Word of God, as He was in the very beginning before God created the world. God would immediately glorify Jesus after He finished His work with His death on the cross.
(33) "Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek Me, and as I said to the Jews, 'Where I go, you cannot come,' so now I say to you."
Jesus told His disciples that He would be with them only a short time now, and referenced the time He told the Jews there would be a time when they would seek Jesus and would not find Him, because where He was going, they could not go. Therefore, He wanted to tell them the following:
(34) "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. (35) By this shall all know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
As Jesus would not be with His disciples, He told them He was leaving them with a new commandment, that they should love one another as Jesus had loved them. By demonstrating such love for one another, as Jesus had loved them, they would be showing the world how much like their Savior they were. Albert Barnes wrote in his Notes on the Bible that it was well known and often remarked by the pagans, "See how they love one another! They are ready to lay down their lives for each other!" Imagine such a powerful demonstration of love that would distinguish Christians from the rest of the people! Barnes continued, lamenting the fact that the spirit of the Christian world had changed so much since then. And it was almost 180 years ago that he wrote that! Imagine what he would think now. Genuine love for one another, and Jesus meant Christians loving other Christians, means denying ourselves, doing nothing through selfish ambition or conceit, "but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than themselves" (Philippians 2:3).
(36) Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going?" Jesus answered him, "Where I go, you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterwards."
Peter then asked Jesus where it was that He was going. Jesus answered only that Peter could not follow Him at that present time, but that he would be able to follow Him later.
(37) Peter said to Him, "Lord, why can't I follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake."
Peter asked Jesus why he couldn't follow Him. I'm sure it was in all sincerity that he said he would lay down his life for Jesus.
(38) Jesus answered him, "Will you lay down your life for My sake? Verily, verily, I say to you, the cock will not crow till you have denied Me three times."
Although he may have been sincere in what he said, Jesus told him he, in fact, would not lay down his life for Him. He would actually deny Him three times before the rooster crowed in the morning. Peter did not know his own strength of will. He may have thought he was willing to die for Jesus, but when the time came, he could not do it. Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, pointed out something I had not considered before now. "Christ must first die for Peter, before Peter can die for Him." Christ had to die first to save Peter from his sins and the just punishment he rightly deserved. So actually, Peter could not have given his life at that time. He didn't understand God's plan. In this is a lesson for all of us, though we may be self-confident, we can do nothing of ourselves! It is only through God that we are able to accomplish any of the hard things in life. We must always be dependent on Him to get us through the hard times.
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