John 13:1–20 - 1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. 2 During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, 4 got up from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself. 5 Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. 6 So He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.” 8 Peter said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” 9 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” 10 Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.” 12 So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13 “You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. 14 “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 “For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. 16 “Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. 17 “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. 18 “I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats My bread has lifted up his heel against Me.’ 19 “From now on I am telling you before it comes to pass, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am He. 20 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”
What does today’s passage say?
In today's passage, Jesus knew His time on earth was ending. During the evening meal, He showed the depth of His love by taking off His outer clothes and doing something unexpected. He began washing His disciples' feet, a task usually done by the lowest servants (vv. 1-5). When He came to Peter, the disciple protested that Jesus should not lower Himself this way. Jesus explained that this washing was necessary for Peter to share in His work. Peter then swung to the opposite extreme, asking for a complete washing. Jesus explained that those who were already His followers only needed their feet cleaned (vv. 6-11). After finishing, Jesus told them that as their Teacher and Lord, He had given them an example to copy. If He served this way, they should do the same for others (vv. 12-20).
How can I apply John 13:1-20 to my life?
Jesus shocked His disciples that night. It was His last evening with them before the cross, yet He did something completely unexpected. The Lord of all creation stripped down to a servant's garb, got down on His knees, and started washing His disciples' feet. This wasn't the behavior they expected from their Master. But Jesus had a deeper purpose in mind. Think about it - on the very night Judas would betray Him, when the weight of His coming sacrifice pressed heavily on His heart, Jesus focused on teaching His followers one last, vital lesson. He, the King of Kings, took on the job that, normally, the lowest household servant would do. Through this simple yet profound act, He showed them what servant leadership and real love looks like in action. Jesus wasn't putting on a performance. He wasn't trying to create a memorable moment. Instead, He was showing His disciples - and us - what it truly means to follow Him. His actions that night give us a clear picture of how we should live and serve others. As we look at this passage, we will see three important truths about serving like Jesus:
1. Display Christ-like Humility in Serving Others (vv. 1-5): Jesus showed His love by taking on the role of a lowly servant. He washed His disciples’ feet despite being their Master and Lord. Pride builds walls between people, but humble service breaks them down. Often, the most powerful acts of service are the ones that we think are below us and don’t want to do. These are the ones that God will often call us to break down our pride or arrogance. God’s way of teaching us about humble service to others often takes us through places that our self-centeredness tries to avoid, but these very places become holy ground when we serve like Jesus did. Every day that God gives us brings opportunity to put others first. Whether it is staying late to help a coworker or giving up a weekend to help an elderly neighbor paint their house or even doing things around the church that no one notices or sees us doing, these are the ‘feet-washing’ moments that Jesus calls us to. Even with a servant’s heart, our natural instinct often leads us to serve in ways that bring recognition or status. Instead, Jesus points us to acts of service that might be hidden but that will most certainly cost us some kind of sacrifice. When we clean up a mess in the church kitchen or help difficult people that we would rather avoid, we walk in His footsteps. True Christ-like service is going to require us to get our hands dirty and cost us time and energy. It will require us to help that person that others ignore. Sometimes, the work that Christ calls us to will feel awkward or maybe inconvenient and that is exactly why that work will matter most – it requires us to depend on Him. The key thing is that every time we choose to serve with this kind of humility, we are showing people who Jesus is and how He can transform our lives. Our willing sacrifice of time, comfort, and position becomes a living picture of His love (Philippians 2:3-4, Matthew 20:26-28, 1 Peter 5:5-6).
Food for Thought: What tasks or types of service do you avoid because you think they are beneath you? How does your attitude change when you view service opportunities as ways to show Jesus to others?
2. Submit to Jesus' Spiritual Cleansing (vv. 6-11): Peter's initial resistance to Jesus washing his feet shows how hard it is for us to accept who Jesus really is rather than who we think He should be. We see Him as the Son of God, God Himself, and we want to prove ourselves worthy by working hard to please Him rather than recognizing that He is the One who will produce fruit in our lives. He is the one who empowers us to do the work He has called us to. Sometimes, this leads us to not surrendering parts of our lives to Him because it would involve doing things we don’t want to do or doing things we don’t think we can do. We don’t accept or we don’t recognize his freely offered help in those areas. Often, when our lives get messy, we try to clean them up ourselves before coming to Him forgetting that He is the one who does the cleaning. He wants us to come to Him with our open dirty hands and our sinful hearts. He doesn’t just do the surface clean like we do – He washes deeply, removing all that is unclean. He cleanses our attitudes, our thoughts and our motives. Jesus’ example of cleaning Peter’s feet shows that He wants to work in every area of our lives, even the dirtiest. When we resist His cleansing work in any aspect of our lives, we miss out on the most amazing thing – that deeper relationship that He wants with us. We need to trust Him fully and allow Him to work in every aspect of our lives, especially those where we feel ashamed or inadequate. The fact is that Jesus already knows those areas – we can’t hide them from Him. He wants to cleanse them and restore us fully. As we allow Him to ‘wash our feet’, His cleansing touch brings us freedom from guilt and shame. He brings healing to our spiritual sickness and straightens out our crooked paths. Our real spiritual growth happens when we stop trying to fix ourselves and we let Jesus do His transforming wok in us (1 John 1:7-9, Psalm 51:7, Isaiah 1:18).
Food for Thought: What areas of your life are you trying to fix on your own instead of letting Jesus work in them? How does pride keep you from experiencing the full cleansing Jesus offers?
3. Put Jesus' Example of Service into Action (vv. 12-20): Jesus showed true servant leadership by washing his disciples' feet. In this simple yet profound act, Jesus broke down social barriers and demonstrated that people's needs take priority over titles or position. To follow Christ’s example, we must move from simple head knowledge of what He did to real, practical hands-on service. To start, we have to be aware of others’ needs sometimes even when they are unspoken. Then we must take action to meet those needs using our initiative often not even waiting to be asked. We must get out of our own comfort zone, engaging with people that we may not like or that we might overlook, and take advantage of opportunities – both big and small – to meeting physical needs and providing spiritual care. We must have the same motivation as Jesus does of humbly serving out of genuine love. God has uniquely equipped each of us with spiritual gifts and natural talents to serve others. We must do it out of genuine love for them and for our Lord. We have to be willing to put our own interests on the back burner whether that means giving up time, comfort, preferences, or resources. . Inconvenience and discomfort may be part of the process, but that's where our service makes the greatest impact, mirroring Jesus' perfect example of selfless love. As we serve those around us with His humility and care, our actions can draw others closer to Him (Galatians 5:13, Mark 10:45, Romans 12:10-11, 1 Peter 4:10).
Food for Thought: What need could you meet this week through simple, humble service? How can you honor Christ by serving someone who gets overlooked?
In these verses, Jesus gives us a powerful model of genuine servant leadership. It is more than just a memorable moment in His ministry; it shows us how we should live as we seek to follow Him. In this profound act of service and love, He teaches us three key principles: Christ-like humility, our ongoing need for His spiritual cleansing, and the importance of putting service into action. When we submit to Jesus' cleansing in our lives, it transforms us. He does away with our pride and fills us with His grace. In calling us to have this kind of servant leader attitude, He pushes us out of our comfort zone and into genuine service that costs us something. True Christ focused discipleship demands more than surface-level changes; it requires us to take on His servant heart in tangible, practical ways. It means getting our hands ‘dirty’ in real service to others, choosing to help when it is inconvenient, loving people who are difficult, and taking the initiative to meet needs others might overlook. As we put these truths into practice, our lives become a living demonstration of His transforming power. Through our willing sacrifice and humble service, others see Jesus more clearly and are drawn to His perfect love.
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
I pray that you would develop a servant's heart within me, one that actively looks for opportunities to put others first like Jesus did. Help me to notice people's needs without them asking and to willingly meet those needs with humble action. Push me to build relationships with people I typically overlook and to serve those who often go unnoticed.
I pray that You would reveal any areas of stubborn pride that prevent me from serving like Christ. Show me where I try to fix myself instead of relying on the cleansing work of Your Spirit within me. Expose my sinful habits or attitudes I hide instead of confessing and submitting to You.
I pray that You would use this desire You've put in my heart to serve and channel it into tangible acts of care for others this week. Show me specific people I can assist - the friend I've neglected, a neighbor needing help, the quiet mom at church – and then give me the passion and courage to step up, get involved, and meet their needs. Help me to truly follow Jesus' example of selfless servanthood. Use me to be Your hands and feet, demonstrating Your care and humility so that You receive all the glory.
I pray these things in the most precious name of Jesus, Amen.
John 13:15 - “For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.”
With His Blessings,
Pastor Corby
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