John 13
Summary for John 13:1: 13:1–20:31 a This section focuses on the sign of the cross, the great climax of Jesus’ life, as well as the time Jesus spent preparing his disciples for it (chs 13–17 b). Jesus is glorified through each event of these momentous days. Jesus’ arrest, trial, crucifixion, and resurrection all evoke responses of awe. On the cross, Jesus is elevated in glory before the world (12:32 c).Summary for John 13:1-38: 13:1-38 d The setting is Jesus’ final Passover meal on Thursday evening, when Judas Iscariot betrays Jesus. John does not record the meal itself as the synoptic Gospels do (Matt 26:17-29 e; Mark 14:12-25 f; Luke 22:7-20 g; see also 1 Cor 11:23-26 h). John emphasizes other activities at the event, such as the foot washing (John 13:1-17 i), Judas’s betrayal (13:18-30 j), and the prediction of Peter’s denials (13:31-38 k).
13:2 l Judas ... Iscariot, who had refused to believe, was engulfed by darkness and had become Satan’s pawn (cp. study note on 12:39-40).
Summary for John 13:4-5: 13:4-5 m Foot washing, common in the Hellenistic and Jewish cultures as a daily routine and as a gesture of hospitality (see Luke 7:36-50 n), was a lowly, menial task reserved for servants. When Jesus began to wash the disciples’ feet, he took the posture of a slave.
13:8 o Based on the depth of his devotion to Jesus, it is understandable that Peter protested. But Jesus was not simply giving Peter a model of service; this was a symbolic pre-enactment of his greater act of sacrifice on the cross (13:7 p). Receiving Jesus’ spiritual cleansing is a condition for discipleship, so if Peter could not accept this act, he could not be Jesus’ disciple at all.
13:9 q wash my hands and head as well: Peter misunderstood Jesus (cp. 2:19-20 r; 3:3-4 s). Peter thought that to have more water was to have more of Jesus. Only when Peter received the Spirit did everything become clear (e.g., see Acts 2:14-36 t).
13:10 u Jesus referred to an ultimate cleansing through his sacrifice which makes a person clean all over.
Summary for John 13:14-15: 13:14-15 v Jesus’ acts of service, such as washing feet and dying on the cross, provided an example of personal sacrifice to follow.
• wash each other’s feet: Foot washing was so commonplace that Jesus might have intended a literal repetition of his act, or he might have seen it as symbolic. Either way, Jesus wants similar servanthood and sacrifice to characterize his followers.
13:16 w slaves are not greater than their master: This proverb was popular and appears in many places (see also 15:20 x; Matt 10:24 y; Luke 6:40 z). Here, Jesus meant that the sacrifice modeled by the master should be seen in the life of the servant.
13:18 aa I am not saying these things to all of you: The subject of Judas’s betrayal enters the story for the third time (13:2 ab, 11 ac). The matter weighed heavily on Jesus (13:21 ad).
• I know the ones I have chosen: The statement does not imply that Jesus chose only the eleven and that Judas was an outcast. Jesus chose Judas and gave him every opportunity to believe. He realized that Judas had embraced the darkness rather than the light (6:70 ae).
• The one who eats my food has turned against me (literally has lifted his heel against me): Eating together was a cultural symbol of personal intimacy, which made Judas’s betrayal all the more treacherous.
13:19 af Judas’s betrayal did not take Jesus unaware, and it should not shock his disciples when it happens.
• that I Am the Messiah: Literally that I am. By using the phrase “I am,” Jesus clearly equated himself with the God of the Old Testament. See Exod 3:14 ag.
13:21 ah For the third time in the Gospel of John, Jesus was deeply troubled (Greek tarassō; see 11:33 ai; 12:27 aj). The personal betrayal of Judas brought Jesus profound grief.
13:23 ak The disciple Jesus loved appears at the cross (19:26-27 al), at the tomb (20:2-9 am), and at the resurrection (21:1 an, 20-23 ao). He is the author of this Gospel (21:24-25 ap). Some scholars believe that Lazarus was in fact the disciple whom Jesus loved (see 11:3 aq, 5 ar, 36 as), but the person referred to here was among the twelve apostles and is usually identified as the apostle John.
• was sitting next to Jesus at the table: Literally was reclining on Jesus’ bosom. They were probably reclining at a triclinium, a U-shaped table with couches. Guests reclined on the couches, while the center provided access to servers. The diners supported their bodies by their left elbows while using their right hands for eating. Feet were extended away from the table (cp. Luke 7:38 at).
13:25 au Peter told “the disciple Jesus loved” (13:23 av), who was sitting next to Jesus, to ask the betrayer’s identity. As he reclined next to Jesus, he leaned over to Jesus and spoke privately.
13:26 aw Meals included flat bread, which diners would dip into a common bowl. When Jesus gave a morsel to Judas (cp. Ruth 2:14 ax), the disciples might have thought Jesus was honoring him. They did not understand what was occurring. They even thought that Judas’s departure (John 13:29 ay) fulfilled an official duty for the feast! But Jesus was signaling to Judas that he understood Judas’s plan and was not taken by surprise. Jesus’ knowledge is profound and complete (see 1:48 az; 2:25 ba).
13:27 bb When Satan entered into Judas (see Luke 22:3 bc), Judas became an example of what happens to those who are consumed by the darkness. Satan uses such people as pawns in a wider struggle against the light.
• Hurry and do what you’re going to do: In issuing this command, Jesus once again showed that he was in control, not human beings or Satan (see study note on John 7:30).
Summary for John 13:28-29: 13:28-29 bd None of the others suspected that something odd was happening. Passover evening was one of the only nights when the city gates were left open. The night was spent in prayer and meditation, money was given to the poor, and provisions were always needed for this complex meal.
13:30 be out into the night: Judas’s departure was emblematic: The darkness had swallowed him completely (see study note on 13:2; cp. 3:19 bf). Jesus, the light of the world, is the antithesis of the night.
Summary for John 13:31: 13:31–17:26 bg The Old Testament and later Jewish literature include numerous examples of farewells in which a dying person offers last words to intimate friends (see Gen 49:1-27 bh; Deut 31–34 bi; Josh 23–24 bj; 1 Sam 12 bk; 1 Chr 28:1–29:30 bl). Such farewells used a standard form. The dying person, surrounded by his loved ones, comforted them and exhorted them to obey the law. He prayed and blessed them and often left behind some writings. In some cases, the departing person passed on his “spirit” to his followers or his successor (see Num 27:18 bm; Deut 34:9 bn; 2 Kgs 2:9-14 bo). Each of these elements is present in Jesus’ farewell.
• This section is often called the Upper Room Discourse, since the meal was taken in an “upstairs room” (Luke 22:39 bp). 13:31 bq The time has come: Judas’s departure into the night marks a solemn divide in the plot of the Gospel. Jesus was left with his intimate friends as the hour of glory was dawning. This time was launched by Judas’s betrayal, and it culminated in the resurrection.
13:33 br Jesus addressed the apostles as his children, marking the start of his farewell address.
Summary for John 13:34-35: 13:34-35 bs That the disciples were to love one another was not a new commandment (see Lev 19:18 bt). However, that they were to love each other with the sort of love modeled by Jesus was dramatic. Jesus’ love for God was expressed in perfect obedience (John 14:31 bu); now this kind of love was his command—that disciples express their love for Jesus in committed obedience.
13:37 bv Peter claimed to be ready to die for Jesus, yet his denials are well known (18:15-18 bw, 25-27 bx; see also Matt 26:32-34 by; Mark 14:27-30 bz; Luke 22:31-34 ca). Although Peter’s verve and devotion failed, he was restored (John 21:15-19 cb).
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