John 13 Matthew Henry. New Russian translation. Jesus washes the feet of His Apostles

Before the Feast of Easter, Jesus, knowing that His hour had come to pass from this world to the Father, showed by deed that, having loved His who were in the world, He loved them to the end

And during the supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Simon Iscariot to betray Him,

Jesus, knowing that the Father has given all things into His hands, and that He came from God and is going to God,

He got up from supper, took off His outer clothing and, taking a towel, girded Himself. Then he poured water into the laver, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and wipe them with the towel with which He had girded Himself.

He approaches Simon Peter, and he says to Him, Lord! Should you wash my feet? Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do, you do not know now, but you will understand later.”

Peter says to Him you will never wash my feet. Jesus answered him: If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.

Simon Peter says to Him Lord! not only my feet, but also my hands and head.

Jesus says to him: he who has been washed only needs to wash his feet, because he is all clean; and you are clean, but not all

For He knew His betrayer, and that is why He said, not all of you are pure.

When he had washed their feet and put on his clothes, he lay down again and said to them. Do you know what I have done to you?

You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say correctly, for I am exactly

So, if I, the Lord and Teacher, washed your feet, then you should wash each other’s feet:

For I have given you an example, that you also should do the same as I have done to you.

Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, and a messenger is not greater than the one who sent him.

If you know this, blessed are you when you do it.

We need to look at this passage in its entirety, but first let's look at it in its entirety.

Few other incidents in the Gospels reveal the true character of Christ and His love as much as this incident. When we think about who Jesus could have been and what he could have done, the greatest miracle of who He was and what He could do becomes close and understandable to us.

1. Jesus knew that everything was in His hands. He knew that the hour of His humiliation was near, but He also knew that the hour of His glorification was near. This kind of knowledge could have filled Him with a sense of pride, and He, with such a consciousness of the power and glory that belonged to Him, washed the feet of the disciples. At the moment when the highest pride could have been manifested in Him, the highest humility was manifested in Him.

Love is always like that. When, for example, someone falls ill, the soul that loves him is ready to provide him with the most unattractive services and do it with the greatest pleasure, because that is love. Sometimes people think that they are too important to perform some low service. Jesus was not like that, and although he knew that He was the Lord of everyone and everything, He washed the disciples’ feet.

2. Jesus knew that He came from God and was going to God. He might have a certain contempt for people and the world. He might have thought that His work on earth was finished, and that He was now on the way to God. But it was precisely when God was especially close to Him that Jesus reached the depths and extreme limits of serving people. At festive feasts, slaves washed the guests' feet. Rabbis' students served their teachers, but such service would not have occurred to anyone. What is remarkable about Jesus is that His closeness to God not only did not distance Him from people, but, on the contrary, brought Him closer to them. It is always true that the one who is closer to God is closer to people.

There is a legend about Francis of Assisi, which says that in his youth he was very rich, and only the best was good enough for him. In every way he was an aristocrat of aristocrats. But he felt uneasy and had no peace in his soul. One day, riding outside the city on horseback, he saw a leper. This man was covered in wounds and scabs, and was a terrible sight. At another time, the squeamish Francis would have turned away from him with contempt and disgust, the appearance of this remnant of a man was too terrible, but this time something broke in Francis’s soul. He got off his horse, approached the leper and hugged him, and at that moment he appeared before him in the image of Jesus Christ. The closer we are to suffering humanity, the closer we are to God, and vice versa.

3. Jesus knew that He would soon be betrayed. Such knowledge could have caused resentment or even hatred in Him, but the opposite happened - the heart of Jesus burned with even greater love. The more He was hurt, the more He was humiliated and mocked, the more He loved. It is natural to be outraged by evil and to be upset in response to insults, but Jesus faced the worst insults, hurts, and even betrayals with the deepest humility and love.

John 13:1-17(continued) Kingdom Ministry

But here, we see, not everything has been said. If we look at Luke's description of this supper, we find the following phrase: “Now there was a dispute among them which of them should be considered greatest.” (Luke 22:24). Even when the Cross was already visible, the disciples were still arguing about primacy and authority.

It is possible that it was this dispute that forced Jesus to act as He did. The roads of Palestine were unpaved and dirty. In dry weather, several centimeters of dust lay on their surface, and in rain all this dust turned into liquid mud. The shoes that people usually wore were light and open; These were, as a rule, just soles, pulled to the foot with a pair of narrow straps, that is, the most primitive type of sandal. Such shoes did not protect well from the dust and dirt of the roads, and therefore in front of each house one could find a vessel with water and a servant with a basin and a towel, ready to wash the guests’ feet. There were no servants in the meeting of Jesus' friends on that memorable evening, and therefore the services that servants usually provided in rich houses were shared among themselves. It is quite possible that that evening, they were so caught up in their competition to see who would be the greatest in the kingdom of Jesus that no one made sure that there was water and a towel for washing feet at the entrance to the upper room. And therefore Jesus Himself corrected this omission in the most vivid and visible way.

He Himself did what none of them were ready for, and then said: “See what I did? Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you speak correctly, for I certainly am that. So, if I, the Lord and Teacher, washed your feet, then you should wash each other’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do the same as I have done to you.”

This should give us pause. How often, even in churches, trouble arises because someone is not given the place he wanted. How often even high-ranking ministers are offended when they are not given the honors that they believe their position requires. The lesson here is that there is only one kind of greatness: greatness of service. The world is full of people who stand up for their dignity when they should be kneeling at the feet of their brothers. In all branches of life, the thirst for primacy and the reluctance to submit disrupt the order of things. The player has only been banned from playing once and does not want to play again. The hopeful politician has been passed over for the position he thought he was entitled to, and he refuses to accept a lower position. The choir member didn't get the solo he wanted - and refuses to sing at all.

It happens in every society that someone, at the slightest inattention to him, either flies up in anger or walks around sulking for several days in a row. Whenever we feel like thinking about our dignity, authority and position, let us remember the Son of God, girded with a towel, kneeling at the feet of His disciples.

Great indeed is he who possesses this special humility which makes him both a servant and a king. In Donald Hankey's Beloved Captain, there is this wonderful passage that describes how a beloved captain cared for his subordinates after the campaign:

“We knew instinctively that he was our sergeant-major - a man of better stuff than us, a “someone” in his own right. I think that’s why he could be modest without losing his dignity. And he was really modest, so to speak, and I think it is possible. Not one of our problems was so small that he could not take care of it. When we started hiking and our feet were sore and blistered, you would have thought it was not our feet, but his, he cared for them so sensitively. Of course, after every hike we had our legs checked. That’s how it was supposed to be, but it wasn’t just a skill for him. He came to our room, and if anyone’s legs hurt, he knelt down in front of that person and carefully examined their wounded legs from the campaign, as if he were a doctor, and then prescribed medicines, which were immediately brought by the sergeant. If a blister needed to be punctured, he most often took care of it himself, and at the same time took care that it was done with a clean needle so as not to introduce dirt into the wound. He simply believed that our feet were important, and he knew that we ourselves were not very careful with our feet. There was something Christlike in his treatment of us, and we loved and respected him even more.”

It is precisely such a person who bends down like Christ that people love and honor as a king and do not allow his memory to die.

John 13:1-17(continued) Necessary ablution

We have already seen before that in the words of the Evangelist John we must always look for two meanings: the first is important, the second is even more important. On the surface, this episode is a clear, unforgettable lesson in humility, but there's more to it. There is one rather difficult situation here. At first Peter refuses to allow Jesus to wash his feet, but Jesus tells him that if he does not allow Him to wash his feet, he will have no part with the Lord. After this, Peter asks to wash not only his feet, but also his hands and head. Jesus answers that it is enough that only the feet be washed. This sentence, which undoubtedly has two meanings, sounds like this: “He who is washed only needs to wash his feet, because he is all clean.” (13,10).

There is undoubtedly an allusion here to Christian baptism. The words “if I do not wash you, you have no part with Me” can also be expressed as follows: “Without baptism a person does not participate in the Church.” The custom was that if a person washed his face at home, before going on a visit, he only needed to wash his feet. But this meaning is external, and the internal, deeper one, says that only those who have been washed enter the house. That is why Jesus says to Peter: “You do not need the ordinary washing of the body, which you can do yourself, but you need that special washing that will give you access to the house of faith.” This also explains another thing, namely, that when Peter refused to let Jesus wash his feet, Jesus said to him: “Will you not let me wash your feet? Know that without this you will lose everything.”

One enters the Church through baptism, that is, washing before entering. This does not mean that a person will not be saved unless he is baptized (like the thief on the cross), but it does mean that if a person has the opportunity to be baptized, he must testify to his faith in Christ his Savior.

John 13:18-20 The shame of infidelity and the glory of fidelity

I'm not talking about all of you. I know whom I chose. But may the Scripture be fulfilled: “He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.”

Now I tell you before it comes to pass, so that when it comes to pass, you may believe that it is I.

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives him whom I send receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.

There are three things that are emphasized in this passage.

1. The obvious cruelty of Judas's infidelity is depicted in colors that are especially understandable to the Eastern mind. Jesus speaks the familiar words from the psalm: “Even the man who was at peace with me, in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, lifted up his heel against me.” (Ps. 40:10). In the east, eating bread with someone was a sign of friendship and an act of loyalty. IN 2 Kings 9.7.13 it talks about how David gives Mephibosheth, son of Jonathan (son of Saul) “to eat bread at his table,” when he could easily destroy him as a descendant of Saul. IN 1 Kings 18.19 it talks about how the prophets of Baal ate bread at the table of Jezebel. If a person who ate bread at the table of a friend who trusted him betrayed him, this was considered an act of extreme meanness. The psalmist considered this kind of betrayal to be the most bitter insult, and we read: “In the midst of it is destruction; deceit and deceit do not leave its streets. For it is not the enemy who reviles me—I would bear it; It is not my hater who glories over me - I would hide from him, but you, who were the same to me as I, my friend and my close one.” (Ps. 54:12-14). There is still this acute pain of resentment in the world when a loved one shows heartbreaking infidelity, and many people are very familiar with this pain. The very expression “he lifted up his heel against me” speaks of cruelty and was always used in Jewish language to describe cruelty. There is no anger on Jesus' part in this passage, only deep sadness, a final call to Judas and an exposure of the wound he had inflicted on Jesus' heart.

2. It also emphasizes the fact that even this tragedy was part of God's plan, and that it was fully and unconditionally accepted by Jesus. Everything was just as Scripture predicted. There was not for a moment any doubt that the redemption of the world would cut deep into the heart of God. Jesus knew what was happening, knew the cost of what was happening, and was willing to accept it. He did not want the disciples to think that He was caught in a web of blind circumstances from which He could not get out. He was not killed, but He Himself chose death. But at that moment they could not see it and did not understand what was happening to Him, but He wanted them to look back in the future, remember and understand.

3. This passage emphasizes not only the pain and bitterness of betrayal, but also the glory of faithfulness. The day will come when these same disciples will carry the message of Jesus Christ to all ends of the world. In doing this, they will be no more and no less than representatives of God Himself. An ambassador does not go on his own as a private person, armed only with his own abilities and qualities, but goes with the glory and honor of his country upon him. To hear him is to hear his country, to salute him is to salute his country. To greet him is to greet his country and the ruler who sent him. The great honor and great responsibility of a Christian is that He represents Jesus Christ in the world. We talk about Him and act in Him and for Him.

John 13:21-30a Love's last call

Having said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.”

Then the disciples looked around at each other, wondering who He was talking about.

One of His disciples, whom Jesus loved, reclined at the breast of Jesus;

Simon Peter made a sign to him to ask who it was that he was talking about.

He fell to the chest of Jesus and said to Him, Lord! who is this?

Jesus answered: the one to whom I dip a piece of bread and give it. And, having dipped the piece, he gave it to Judas Simon Iscariot.

And after this piece Satan entered into him. Then Jesus told him what you are doing, do it quickly.

But none of those reclining understood why He told him this.

And as Judas had the box, some thought that Jesus was speaking to him. “buy what we need for the holiday,” or to give something to the poor

Having accepted the piece, he immediately left; and it was night.

When we mentally imagine this scene, certain phenomena in it stand out clearly and attract our special attention.

Judas' betrayal is shown in all its ugliness. He was, presumably, a magnificent actor and a skilled deceiver. One thing is clear: if the other disciples had known about Judas’s intention, he would not have left the upper room alive. Apparently, all the time he walked with them, he played the role of a sweet and faithful disciple, deceiving everyone except Jesus. Judas was not only an arrogant villain, but was also an insinuating hypocrite, and here is a warning for us: with our external behavior we can deceive people, but we cannot hide anything from the all-seeing eye of Christ.

But there is more to it than that, and if we understand what was happening correctly, we will see that Jesus again and again called on Judas to come to his senses. Let us pay attention to how the Jews sat at the table. They did not actually sit down, but reclined. The table was made of one thick piece of wood set low, and around it were some sort of couches. The table was not rectangular, but had the shape of a horseshoe and the owner's place was the center of this table. The guests lay down on their left side, leaning on their left elbow, leaving their right hand for eating. In this position, the head of each guest was almost on the chest of the neighbor on the left. Jesus sat in the host's place in the center of the low table, and the disciple whom He loved sat, apparently, on His right side, because when he leaned on his elbow, his head was against Jesus' chest.

The disciple whom Jesus loved is never mentioned by name. Some theologians thought that it was Lazarus, since it is said about Lazarus that Jesus loved him (John 11:36). Others thought that he was a rich young man, about whom it is also said that “Jesus loved him.” (Mark 10:21) and who seemed to have finally decided to follow Jesus; still others suggested that it was some unknown disciple who was especially close to Jesus, and still others even came up with the idea that this person was not real, but an ideal picture of what a true disciple should be. But the prevailing opinion is that this disciple was the Evangelist John himself. We also share this opinion.

But what deserves special attention is the place that Judas occupied at the table. It is very possible that Jesus could speak to him directly and personally and in a way that others could not hear. If this were so, then only one place could be occupied by Judas - from the left sides from Jesus, and then just as John's head bowed to the chest of Jesus, Jesus' head bowed to the chest of Judas. It is significant that the place on the left side of the owner was the most honorable and was given to the most intimate friends. When dinner began, Jesus presumably said to Judas: “Judas, sit next to Me today, I want to talk to you personally.” This very invitation to sit close was already a call, an appeal to conscience.

But that's not all. The owner's offer to accept a particularly tasty morsel from his hand was also a sign of close friendship.

When Boaz wanted to show Ruth how much he respected her, he invited her to dine with the reapers and said, “Eat the bread and dip your morsel in vinegar.” (Ruth 2:14). The Arabs have the custom of tearing off the fattest piece of lamb and giving it to the guest of honor, which is not always pleasant for a European, but is accepted out of politeness in the knowledge that this is a sign of friendship. When Jesus gave a piece to Judas, this was also a sign of special friendship, but even then the disciples did not pay attention to it. This means that they were so accustomed to Jesus treating Judas kindly that in this case they did not attach any importance to it. Judas always enjoyed the friendship and love of the Lord.

It is tragic that after repeated appeals to the dark heart of Judas, the traitor remained firm in his decision and did not change it. God forbid us from such indifference to the calls of love.

John 13:21-30a(continued) The Last Call of Love

So the tragedy happened even though Jesus repeated His call, showing kindness and tenderness in an attempt to save him from what he planned to do. And then the decisive moment came. “Judas, whatever you are doing, do it quickly,” Jesus said, knowing that it was useless to put it off any longer. Why continue useless calls in an atmosphere of increasing tension? If this must happen, let it happen soon.

The disciples still did not know what was happening, and thought that Jesus had sent Judas to buy something for dinner, or to give something to the poor. Custom required that those who had plenty share with those who had nothing, and at this time of the holiday people shared more with the poor than at any other time. Therefore, the disciples thought that Jesus had sent Judas to give something from his box to the poor, so that they too could celebrate the Passover like everyone else.

When Judas accepted a piece from Jesus, Satan entered into him. It's scary to think that what was a call of love turned into an engine of hatred. But this is how the devil works. He can take the most beautiful message and distort it so that it becomes a fiend of hell. He can turn love into passion, holiness into vanity, education into sadistic cruelty, affection into spineless complacency. We must be vigilant so that in our lives the devil does not use the beautiful for his own base purposes.

Judas went out, and it was night. It was night because the day had come to an end, but this is not the only meaning of the word night in this case. This was a night of a different order. Night always comes for a person when he leaves Christ, pursuing his own personal goals. Night always comes when a person listens to evil, instead of responding to the calls of good. Night comes when hate extinguishes the light of love. Night comes when a person turns away from Jesus Christ.

When we obey Christ, we walk in the light, but as soon as we turn away from Him, we enter darkness. There are two paths before us - into the light and into the darkness. God will give us wisdom to choose rightly, for we know that in the dark a person can easily get lost.

John 13:30b-32 Quadruple Glory

When he went out, Jesus said now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. If God was glorified in Him, then God will glorify Him in Himself, and will soon glorify Him

There is a fourfold glorification in this passage.

1. The glorification of Jesus has arrived. The tension passed, Judas came out, and the Cross became inevitable. The cross was His glorification. Here we again stand face to face with the eternal truth that glory comes to those who sacrifice themselves. In any battle, the highest glory belongs not to those who survived it, but to those who gave their lives in it. The medical profession remembers not those doctors who became rich, but those who sacrificed themselves to heal others. History teaches a simple lesson: those who sacrificed themselves received the highest glory.

2. Jesus glorified God. By His obedience He glorified the Father. Only by obedience can a person prove to his leader that he respects, loves and trusts him; obedience, if necessary, even to death. Only by obedience does a child show that he respects and loves his parents. Jesus gave the highest honor and glory to His Father by being obedient to the point of death.

3. God was glorified in Jesus. It may seem strange to us that God's highest glory was revealed in His incarnation and Crucifixion. There is nothing more glorious than being loved. If God remained aloof, calm and indifferent, and was not touched by the sorrows and pains of man, people would fear Him, and perhaps admire Him, but they would never love Him. The law of self-sacrifice is not only an earthly law, but also a heavenly one. Through the Incarnation and the Crucifixion, the supreme glory of God was fully revealed.

4. God will glorify Jesus. This is the other side of what is happening. At that moment, the Cross was the glory of Jesus, but more awaited Him; before Him there was also the Resurrection and Ascension, and then the complete and final triumph, which the New Testament speaks of as His Second Coming. On the Cross Jesus found His own glory, but the day will come and is already coming when the whole world, the whole universe will see His glory. The exaltation of Christ was to come after His humiliation, and the enthronement after the Crucifixion, the crown of thorns was to become the crown of glory. Now is the path to the Cross, but ahead is the triumph of the King, which the whole world will see.

John 13:33-35 Farewell commandment

My children will not be long with you and you will seek Me, and as I said to the Jews, that where I go, you cannot come, so now I say to you, I give you a new commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you, so do you love each other,

By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.

Jesus spoke His last commandment to the disciples. The time was short and it was important that they heard His voice then, because He was leaving them on a journey that they could not go with Him. He was entering upon a road which He should have walked alone, but before He left them He gave them a commandment that they should love one another as He loved them. What does this mean for us and for our relationships with others? How did Jesus love His disciples?

1. He loved them selflessly. Even in the noblest human love there always remains an element of selfishness. It may be unconscious, but we often think about our own benefit. We think about the happiness that we can receive, or the loneliness that will befall us if we are no longer loved. Too often we ask ourselves, “How will this love benefit me?” How often in the subconscious there is a search for the personal and a desire not so much to give as to receive. But Jesus never sought His own. His only desire was to give Himself for those He loved.

2. Jesus loved the disciples sacrificially. There was no limit to what His love was willing to do for them and where His love was willing to go for them. No demand was too much for her, and if love meant the Cross, Jesus was willing to go there. Sometimes we mistakenly conclude that love should bring us happiness, and ultimately it does, but it does not also bring suffering with it and may sometimes require a cross.

3. Jesus loved His disciples understanding. He knew them through and through. We don't know people until we live with them. Meeting people only sometimes, we see their best side, and when we live with them, then we learn all their weaknesses. Jesus lived with the disciples day after day for many months and knew everything there was to know about them—and loved them! Sometimes we say that love is blind, but it is not so, because love that is blind cannot end in anything other than sad disappointment. True love looks with wide eyes and loves not an imaginary person, but a real, real one, loves him as he is. Jesus has enough love for us to love us just as we are.

4. Jesus loved His disciples forgiving. They all left Him in difficult times, and during all the days of His life in the body, not one of them understood Him, they were all blind and insensitive, slow to learn, weak in understanding, and in the end they also turned out to be outright cowards. But Jesus was not offended by them. There was no shortcoming that He could not forgive. Love that is not ready to forgive can only wither and die. We are pitiful creatures, and something makes us always hurt those we love, and therefore the love that endures everything must be built on forgiveness, because without forgiveness it will die.

John 13:36-38 Shattered Loyalty

Simon Peter said to Him: Lord! where are you going? Jesus answered him: Where I am going, you cannot follow Me now, but later you will follow Me.

Peter said to Him Lord! Why can’t I follow You now? I will lay down my soul for You.

Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for Me?” Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow until you have denied Me three times.

What was the difference between Peter and Judas? Judas betrayed Jesus and the name of Judas is associated with the most terrible shame, and Peter, although he denied Him in a difficult moment with an oath and god, has something infinitely sweet. Here's the difference: Judas's betrayal was deliberate and premeditated, and was carried out with cruel coldness. Undoubtedly, it was the result of a carefully thought-out plan, and therefore did not completely yield to the most obvious calls to convert. It can be said about Peter’s denial that there has never been anything less deliberate than it. He did not intend to do it, but was simply captured by it in a moment of weakness of will, although his heart remained in the right attitude towards Jesus all the time.

There is always a big difference between a sin that is coldly and deliberately calculated, and one that is committed accidentally and involuntarily, striking a person at a moment of weakness of will or excitement. There is always a difference between a sin when a person knows what he is doing, and a sin when a person is either weak or so excited that he hardly knows what he is doing. May God forbid us from intentionally causing pain to ourselves or those we love!

There is something touchingly sweet about Peter's attitude towards Jesus.

1. Jesus knew Peter with all his weaknesses. He knew his impulsiveness, instability and how he tended to speak with his heart before he had time to think it through with his head. He knew the strength of his fidelity as well as the weakness of his resolve, and, in a word, knew Peter as he was.

2. Jesus knew Peter in all his love, knew that no matter what Peter did, he loved Him. If only we understood that often the people who upset us, offend and disappoint us do not do it intentionally, not from the depths of their souls, because deep down they love us. After all, the main thing in a person is not his shortcomings and weaknesses, but his love. Jesus knew that Peter loved Him. We would avoid many insults and tragic breakups with people if we remembered that deep down they love us and forgave their fleeting weaknesses.

3. Jesus knew Peter not only at the moment as he was then, but also as he might be. He knew that although Peter could not follow Him now, in the future he would follow the same path of martyrdom. Christ is great because He sees a hero in a cowardly person, because He sees the whole person and not only now, but also in the future, He sees him as he can become in His hands. He has the love that sees what a person can become and the power that helps him achieve just that.

1–20. Christ washing the feet of the disciples at the supper. – 21–30. Discovery of the traitor. – 31–34. The Lord's address to the disciples with final instructions. – 35–36. The question of the Apostle Peter and the Lord's answer.

From chapters 13 to 17, the Gospel of John depicts the last hours spent by the Lord in the circle of His disciples. This section in John represents something independent in the presentation of the history of the life of Christ. It can be called “Christ in the close circle of 12.” Here the Lord, in view of His imminent separation from them, gives them the last instructions in order to strengthen their faith and courage.

John 13:1. Before the Feast of Passover, Jesus, knowing that His hour had come to pass from this world to the Father, showed by deed that, having loved His beings in the world, He loved them to the end.

This verse has a rather unusual construction in the original text, which is why the Russian translation found it necessary to make some insertion here to clarify the thought, adding the words “revealed that.” But it is difficult to agree with the interpretation of the Russian translation. This addition shows that the Russian translation sees the highest manifestation of Christ’s love for his disciples only in the washing of feet, which “revealed” this love. Meanwhile, if anything could be called a manifestation of love, it was not the symbolic admonition regarding the need for humility for the disciples, given to them in the rite of washing their feet, but the entire subsequent completely frank conversation of the Lord with His disciples, in which He spoke to them precisely as to loved ones With your children, as with your friends. Therefore, limiting the meaning of the first verse by only placing it in relation to the washing of feet, as is done in the Russian translation, is completely unfounded. According to the interpretations of the holy fathers and ancient translations, this verse should be rendered as follows: “But since He already knew before the Easter holiday that His hour had come - to go from this world to the Father - then Jesus, as having loved His (disciples), who were (remained) in peace, I loved them to the end.” It is clear that the evangelist's remark here applies not only to the following story of foot-washing, but to the entire section from the 13th to the 17th chapter. The Lord loved the disciples with all his might (“to the end,” cf. Matt. 10:22) precisely at this time, and felt extreme pity for them precisely now because this Easter holiday was, as He knew, the last days, in which the disciples could still have their support in close communication with Him. Soon they will be left alone, and the Lord foresees how difficult it will be for them at that time, how unhappy and abandoned they will feel then!

John 13:2. And during the supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Simon Iscariot to betray Him,

"And during supper." The evangelist does not determine when or on what day this supper took place. But taking into account the fact that at this supper the discovery of the traitor takes place, which, according to the weather forecasters, took place precisely at the last Easter supper, when the Eucharist was established, we have the right to conclude that John here is talking about the last Paschal supper of Christ. To this we must add that both here and here the disciples are given instruction from Christ regarding humility. But why doesn’t John say anything about Christ eating Easter with his disciples and about the establishment of the Sacrament of the Eucharist? Probably because he found the account of this in the Synoptic Gospels quite sufficient. (On the day of the Last Supper according to the Gospel of John - see comments on John 18:28).

"The devil put..." See comments on Luke. 22:3.

John 13:3. Jesus, knowing that the Father has given all things into His hands, and that He came from God and is going to God,

"Jesus, knowing that..." These words are usually interpreted as a concessive sentence: “although Jesus knew... however,” etc. But such an interpretation is hardly correct. It is more consistent with the context of the speech to see here the circumstance of the reason and convey the thought of the entire verse like this: “Jesus, since He knew that the Father had given everything - and, therefore, first of all these twelve apostles, who were to become witnesses of Christ - into His hands and Therefore, He is obliged to prepare them for the fulfillment of the task assigned to them by God, and, on the other hand, knowing that in a few hours He will have to return to His Father, from Whom He came and that, therefore, He has little time left to teach the disciples the most important virtues - humility and love for each other, which they will so need in the work of their future ministry, “rose from supper,” i.e. taught them the last lesson of humility and love.”

John 13:4. He got up from supper, took off His outer clothing and, taking a towel, girded Himself.

According to custom, before supper the minister washed the feet of those who came to the meal. This time there was no minister, and none of the disciples, obviously, wanted to provide Christ and his companions with the appropriate service. Then the Lord Himself gets up from supper and prepares to perform ablution, which a simple servant should do. It is very likely that the reason for this was a dispute that occurred between the disciples about primacy (see Luke 22:23).

John 13:5. Then he poured water into the washbasin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and dry them with the towel with which he was girded.

John, in describing the washing of feet, does not say with whom Christ began. Most likely, the first to receive this was John, who reclined on Christ’s chest, and usually tries not to mention his name where he is placed ahead of others.

"Began". The evangelist adds this word in view of the fact that the ablution was soon interrupted by the Lord’s conversation with Peter.

John 13:6. He approaches Simon Peter, and he says to Him: Lord! Should you wash my feet?

John 13:7. Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not know now, but you will understand later.”

John 13:8. Peter says to Him: You will never wash my feet. Jesus answered him: If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.

The disciples, amazed at what their Lord and Teacher began to do, were unable to utter a single word and silently took a bath from the hands of Christ. But Peter, as a man, cannot restrain the feelings that overwhelm him, and expresses ardent protest against what Christ wants to do for him. The Lord does not consider it possible at this time to explain to Peter the whole meaning of His action: Peter will understand this “after”, i.e. partly in the coming night, when Peter, from the experience of his own fall, comprehended the need for humility and self-abasement, which the Lord showed in the rite of washing the feet, partly later, after the resurrection of Christ, when Peter sees what His self-abasement will lead to Christ (cf. 1 Pet. 3 :22). However, Peter, out of humility, which, however, was far from true, because at the same time it was accompanied by his resistance to the will of the Lord (true humility is always accompanied by obedience to the Lord), persists. To overcome Peter’s stubbornness, the Lord somewhat explains to him the meaning of the cleansing of the disciples’ feet that He performed. He tells Peter that washing the feet means washing the whole person in general: “unless I wash you,” and not “your feet” only...

“You have no part with Me.” See comments on Matt. 24:51; OK. 12:46. The Lord inspires Peter that, unless he is purified by Christ, he will not participate with Him in the blessings that the Kingdom founded by Christ contains, or in eternal life. Thus, the washing of feet is interpreted here by the Lord not only as an invitation to the disciples to humility, but also as an action by which the disciples are given the grace-filled power that cleanses them from sins, which is necessary for every person to achieve salvation.

John 13:9. Simon Peter says to Him: Lord! not only my feet, but also my hands and head.

John 13:10. Jesus says to him: he who has been washed only needs to wash his feet, because he is all clean; and you are clean, but not all.

John 13:11. For He knew His betrayer, and that is why He said: You are not all pure.

Peter understands the importance of the washing that Christ offers and, in order to be completely sure of receiving “a part with Christ,” he asks Christ to wash not only his feet, but also his head, as the most important part of the body. The Lord answers Peter that he does not need complete cleansing, just as a person who has bathed in a river does not need to pour water on himself when he comes ashore: he only needs to rinse his feet, to which the dirt has stuck, until the person reaches the place where put down my clothes. In the baptism of repentance and in constant communion with Christ, the disciples of Christ had already been purified, as much as was possible before the sending of the Holy Spirit, but nevertheless, “walking” among a corrupt and sinful race (Matthew 17:17) could not but leave some disciples on their feet dirty stains, which the Lord invites them to wash away with His grace or love. It is very possible that at the same time the Lord wanted to make it clear to Peter that he must renounce the narrow Jewish view of the Messiah and His Kingdom; this really prevented Peter from coming to terms with the idea of ​​the need for Christ to die on the cross (Matthew 16:22).

"But not all". By this, the Lord, on the one hand, made it clear that He was well aware of the traitor’s plan, on the other hand, He turned to Judas’s conscience in these last minutes, giving him time to come to his senses. The evangelist especially emphasizes the first side, because while he was writing the Gospel, some enemies of Christianity raised as an objection to Christians that Christ did not foresee that among His closest disciples there would be a traitor. No, the evangelist seems to be saying, Christ knew this well.

John 13:12. When he had washed their feet and put on his clothes, he lay down again and said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?”

John 13:13. You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you speak correctly, for I am exactly that.

John 13:14. So, if I, the Lord and Teacher, washed your feet, then you should wash each other’s feet.

John 13:15. For I have given you an example, that you also should do the same as I have done to you.

Explaining the immediate meaning of washing feet, the Lord says that He thereby gave an example of how His followers should act in relation to each other.

“You must wash...” This command, of course, must be understood not in a literal, but in a symbolic sense. Thus, in 1 Tim. 5 foot washing is mentioned as a manifestation or synonym of active Christian love for one's neighbor. The Lord here is not talking about what exactly His disciples should do, but about how they should, with what thoughts and feelings, serve their neighbors. This must be done not only out of obligation, but out of love, as Christ Himself did.

"Lord and Teacher." These names correspond to the Jewish titles of that time, as the rabbis were called by their students: “mara” and “rabbi.” But Christ, of course, gives these names with which the apostles addressed Him real meaning. His apostles, of course, see in Him the one true Teacher and true Lord, and they are quite right, because He really is like that. And from this it follows that they are obliged to fulfill His commands to the fullest accuracy.

John 13:16. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, and a messenger is not greater than the one who sent him.

John 13:17. If you know this, blessed are you when you do it.

The Lord justifies the fact that it is necessary for the apostles to make every kind of self-sacrifice with the same consideration that He expressed when He first sent the apostles to preach. See comments on Matt. 10:24.

“Blessed are you...” See Matt. 5:3.

John 13:18. I'm not talking about all of you; I know whom I chose. But let the Scripture be fulfilled: He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.

John 13:19. Now I tell you before it comes to pass, so that when it comes to pass, you may believe that it is I.

With sadness, Christ again notes that not all His disciples can be called “blessed.” “I know whom I have chosen,” Christ adds. The disciples do not yet know that there is a traitor among them, but Christ has known this for a long time. But, submitting to the will of the Father, expressed in the Holy Scriptures, He did not take any measures to remove the traitor from among the apostles around Him. Psalm 40, from which one verse is quoted here (Ps. 40:10), is understood by the evangelist, undoubtedly, as a prophetic psalm, predicting the difficult fate of the Messiah.

“He lifted up his heel against Me,” that is, pretending to be My friend, he wanted to crush Me when I was lying on the ground. Some see here a comparison with a horse that unexpectedly kicks with its hooves the owner or worker standing behind him, assigned to walk behind the horse. Let the apostles know that betrayal did not overtake Christ unexpectedly!

“What is this I?” The Lord speaks of Himself as the omniscient Jehovah. See comments to John. 8:24.

John 13:20. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives him whom I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.

Here Christ returns to the main idea of ​​​​His conversation with the disciples about the meaning of washing feet and wants to substantiate the idea that they can be called “blessed” (see verse 17). In content, this saying is similar to the 40th verse of the 10th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, but here it has the meaning that the self-humiliation to which Christ will subject Himself and which He depicted under the symbolic action of washing the feet of the disciples will not actually harm His greatness. . “Accept Christ”, i.e. believing in Him is the same as believing in God, and trusting the apostles is the same as listening with faith to the preaching of Christ Himself. Shouldn't the apostles feel blessed, having such conviction of the power of their preaching with which they will go into the world? If they also go to any degree of self-abasement for the sake of Christ and their brothers in faith, this will not harm them at all.

It should be noted that some other fathers and teachers of the Church explained the washing of feet in a symbolic sense, either seeing here a relation to the Sacrament of the Eucharist, or understanding this action as a pre-indication of the Sacrament of Christian Baptism. In modern times, Loisy has detailed the meaning of this action from a symbolic point of view. “Jesus,” says Loisy, focusing primarily on the relation of the washing of feet to the Eucharist and to the death of Christ, which lies at the basis of this Sacrament, “in His death, out of love, became a servant of man. The Eucharist is a constant remembrance, a real symbol of this service.” But this service of Christ to man is also performed in the ritual of washing. The Evangelist John does not mention the establishment of the Eucharist because he considers the washing of feet to be entirely appropriate to the Eucharist. Christ's taking off his clothes signifies His laying down of life; the towel with which Christ girded signified the shrouds with which Christ was wrapped during burial, etc. The water of baptism is also symbolically represented by the water that Christ poured into the laver.

But such explanations seem highly artificial and it is easier to say, together with the famous preacher Nebe, that the washing of feet, firstly, is an example of humble love, secondly, a symbolic image of the action of the grace of Christ on our heart and, thirdly, a guiding example for us in our relationship to our brothers.

John 13:21. Having said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.”

The thought that there was a traitor among the disciples outraged the soul of Christ (see John 11:33); this was noted only by John, as he was the one who reclined closest to Christ. But this indignation soon passed, and after a few moments the Lord said clearly and definitely, without worrying (“testified”) that one of the apostles would betray Him. See comments on Matt. 26:21.

John 13:22. Then the disciples looked around at each other, wondering who He was talking about.

John 13:23. One of His disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at Jesus’ breast.

John 13:24. Simon Peter made a sign to him to ask who it was that he was talking about.

John 13:25. He fell to the chest of Jesus and said to Him: Lord! who is this?

Here, only one evangelist, John, reports that at the request of Peter, the disciple, reclining on the toes of Jesus, quietly asked Christ who He meant when speaking about the traitor. On reclining at the table, see comments on Matt. 26:20.

"One of the students..." It was, of course, John, who usually does not call himself by name (cf. John 1:40, 19:26, 21:7, 20).

“Simon Peter made a sign to him.” The Apostle Peter, obviously, could not himself say something to Christ inaudibly for others: he was not reclining on the same bed on which Christ was reclining. But he was facing John, while the Lord was facing the direction opposite to where Peter was, and therefore Peter made a certain sign to John, expressing a request to quietly ask Christ about the traitor. Then, Peter, after his unsuccessful remark he made to the Lord about washing his feet, felt, of course, some embarrassment, which prevented him from turning to the Lord with a question (St. John Chrysostom).

John 13:26. Jesus answered: the one to whom I dip a piece of bread and give it. And, having dipped the piece, he gave it to Judas Simon Iscariot.

The Lord, giving Judas a dipped piece of bread, thereby pointed to the traitor. What kind of piece it was, the evangelist does not say. Some (Bishop Michael) believe that this is unleavened bread dipped in a sauce of bitter herbs, and this assumption is very likely. The very action of the Lord was not noted by His other disciples, except John, as something out of the ordinary, because at a feast in the east the host - and this in this case was Christ - usually divided pieces of bread and meat to his guests. From this we can also draw the following conclusion: the Lord, offering a piece of bread to Judas, also now wanted to awaken better feelings in him.

John 13:27. And after this piece Satan entered into him. Then Jesus said to him, “Whatever you are doing, do it quickly.”

John 13:28. But none of those reclining understood why He told him this.

John 13:29. And since Judas had a box, some thought that Jesus was telling him: buy what we need for the holiday, or to give something to the poor.

John 13:30. Having accepted the piece, he immediately left; and it was night.

Judas should have been touched by this sign of love, but he was already too bitter. For hardened people, the greatest benefits of those against whom they are hardened have an even more hardening effect. Having received a sign of love, Judas became even more hardened by this, and then “Satan entered into him,” i.e. took possession of it completely, so as not to let it out of his hands anymore. Hatred towards Christ flared up in him even more strongly, it was hard for him to remain in the company of Christ and the apostles, and he began to come up with an excuse to leave the supper. The Lord sees his torment and lets him go: let him quickly accomplish what his soul strives for. But none of the disciples, of course, except John, understood the words of Christ. They believed that Christ was sending Judas to buy something for the holiday. From this it is clear that the shops in Jerusalem were not yet closed (cf. Matt. 25:9-11) and, therefore, the supper that Christ celebrated was celebrated a day earlier than the legal time for celebrating Passover.

“And it was night.” With these words, the evangelist marks the onset of that dark time about which the Lord spoke to the disciples earlier (see John 9:4, 11:10).

John 13:31. When he went out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him.”

John 13:32. If God was glorified in Him, then God will glorify Him in Himself, and will soon glorify Him.

With the removal of the traitor who went after the detachment that was supposed to take Christ, the Lord sees His activity already completed. The Son of Man, or the Messiah, is now already glorified, but this is not yet that eternal, final glorification that the prophets predicted and which will take place only in the future (verse 32: “he will glorify Him”), but glorification through the acceptance of suffering and martyrdom death for all humanity. “The fullness of the glory of Christ was revealed in His suffering for the sins of the world” (St. Cyril of Alexandria). By calling Himself here the Son of Man, the Lord wants to make it clear to His disciples that in His suffering He is the representative of humanity before Divine Justice and that, therefore, thanks to His feat, all humanity is glorified.

“And God was glorified in Him.” Through Christ, God fulfilled all of His promises to mankind, and together He Himself received glorification from people who had not previously glorified Him as they should (Rom. 1:19). Moreover, humanity itself in a state of glorification or restoration is the glory of God, because in the suffering and death of Christ humanity fulfilled those ideal demands of obedience to God that were presented to it by God during the introduction of the ancestors of humanity into heaven (see Silchenkov. Farewell conversation, p. 15 ).

“If God was glorified in Him...” This speaks primarily of the glory that awaits Christ Himself. God glorified the representative of humanity in Himself, i.e. will clothe with His highest, heavenly glory the human nature of Christ, but the divine nature of Christ has never been deprived of divine glory, as can be seen from the fact of the transfiguration, when temporarily this divine glory, always inherent in Christ, shone through the bodily shell.

“He will soon glorify Him.” Some (for example, Tsang) see here a limitation of the thought of glorification expressed by Christ: Christ supposedly means what will follow in the near future, i.e. only His resurrection. But it is more correct to see here an indication of the speed of subsequent events - the ascension of Christ on the cross and ascension into heaven: the days of Christ’s suffering will quickly fly by and glorification is not far!

John 13:33. Children! I won't be with you for long. You will seek Me, and just as I told the Jews that where I go you cannot come, so I tell you now.

Since the path to glory set before Christ is the path of suffering and death, and since now the disciples have not yet followed this path, they have to be separated from Christ. At the thought of this separation, Christ’s love for them awakens with special strength and pity for them seizes His heart. Therefore, he calls them by the most affectionate name, which is what a father calls his beloved children: “children,” or more correctly from Greek, “children” (τεκνία).

“You will seek Me...” Being pursued and persecuted by the world, the disciples will seek Him, the Lord and Teacher, but they will not be able to follow Him. The Lord spoke the same words before (John 7:34, 8:21), but there these words were addressed to Jews who did not believe in Christ and had the meaning of a threat. Here they represent an expression of regret for the remaining disciples in the world.

“I’m speaking now.” The Lord no longer considers it possible to delay announcing to the disciples the impending separation from Him. Saint John Chrysostom says that Christ warns them about this separation in order that this separation should not surprise them and that unexpected disasters should not confuse them.

John 13:34. I give you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, let you also love one another.

As a father separated from his children, Christ gives His final instructions to his disciples. First of all, He gives them the main commandment that they must observe - this is the commandment of mutual love. At the same time, Christ calls the commandment of love “new” not because He had not previously taught them to love each other, but because He speaks here as a King establishing His Kingdom. His new Kingdom is also based on new principles - namely, first of all, on love, which from now on in the Kingdom of Christ becomes the main law of life for the members of this Kingdom. In other earthly human kingdoms, other principles were established as the basic state laws and, above all, the beginning of state egoism, for the sake of which every human personality was sacrificed. In the Kingdom of Christ, there is no place for such a principle, and the person retains all his legal rights as the image and likeness of God. Further, the commandment about love that Christ gives here is new even in relation to the commandment about love that already existed in the Old Testament (Lev. 19:18), because in the Old Testament this commandment also did not have the meaning of a moral principle , on which all Old Testament ethics would be built. And most importantly, in the Old Testament it was required to love “your neighbor,” i.e. a division was made between people: some were closer, others further away. The Lord here speaks not only about a neighbor who needs to be loved, but in general about people who all stand in a relationship of closeness to each other. “Love one another” means that among the followers of Christ there cannot be people who are not close to us, that we must love everyone as our neighbors. Some interpreters believed that the news of Christ’s commandment lies in the degree of love, in its strength, reaching the readiness of self-sacrifice (“love your neighbor more than yourself,” the ancient Greek and some new interpreters interpreted). But one can hardly accept such an opinion, because the particle “how” (καθώς) in the expression “as I have loved...” does not indicate degree, but rather (cf. John 17:2, 11) the mood of the lover, which in in its basis - and not in degree, size - it should be likened to the mood that was in Christ (cf. Phil. 2:2).

John 13:35. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.

Let this love in the spirit of Christ serve as the distinguishing mark of a true follower of Christ (cf. 1 John 3:10). Of course, this does not deny other signs of a true disciple of Christ, faith and good works, nevertheless, it is certain that in the writings of the Apostle John all these other virtues are brought under the same concept - love (1 John 3:10; Rev. 2:4), just as the Apostle Paul recognizes love as the totality of perfection (Col. 3:14). But this love, in order to be love in the spirit of Christ, must be free from all partisanship and intolerance towards people who do not profess our faith. We must, of course, start with love for people who are our relatives in spirit and origin, but then go further and further in expanding the sphere of love, which must certainly rise to the level of love for all people, even our enemies.

John 13:36. Simon Peter said to Him: Lord! where are you going? Jesus answered him: Where I am going, you cannot follow Me now, but later you will follow Me.

John 13:37. Peter said to Him: Lord! Why can’t I follow You now? I will lay down my soul for You.

John 13:38. Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for Me?” Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow until you have denied Me three times.

The divine demands presented to the apostles do not so much occupy their attention as they are oppressed by the thought that Christ is leaving them. The spokesman for the feelings of the disciples in this case is the Apostle Peter.

John depicts the short conversation of the Savior with Peter here in a manner similar to the narrative of the Evangelist Luke (cf. Luke 22:31-34). The evangelists Matthew (Matthew 26:31-35) and Mark (Mark 14:27-31) differ here from John in depicting the time, place and occasion of the conversation.

Peter, perhaps, believed that the Lord was leaving somewhere from Judea in order to found His Church in another country, where for some reason the disciples could not follow Him (St. Cyril of Alexandria). He did not think or did not want to think about the fact that the Lord was going to die. In his answer to Peter, Christ almost literally repeats what he said above to all the apostles (verse 33), and by this makes it clear that he will not explain anything more to them about the very fact that he has in mind. With the addition “afterwards you will follow Me,” the Lord reassures Peter and the other disciples, letting them understand that they will follow the same path of asceticism and martyrdom that He follows, and thus unite with Him again.

"Why can't I..." Peter even now feels ready to sacrifice his life for Christ, but the Lord predicts to him that, on the contrary, he will not only not want to lay down his soul for Christ now, but will renounce Christ before morning.

It is clear that John here complements the narrative of the Evangelist Luke, whose prediction of Christ to Peter is not in direct connection with the previous words of Christ (see Luke 22 et seq.). It is best to make the following combination from two Gospel stories: 1) John. 13:36-37; 2) Luke. 22:32-33; and 3) In. 13:38. The evangelists Matthew and Mark describe only the continuation and end of Christ’s conversation with Peter (Matt. 26:30-31; Mark 14:29-31; Matt. 26:32-35).

III. Jesus Prepares His Disciples (Chapters 13-17)

A. Last Supper (13:1-30)

I. JESUS ​​WASHES THE DISCIPLES' FEET (13:1-17)

The Gospel of John sets forth more fully than the other three the instructions of Jesus Christ to His disciples. Chapters 13-17 focus on what He said on that fateful night on which He was betrayed. But before he began his instruction, Jesus washed the disciples’ feet and then spoke of the betrayal that would take place that night.

John 13:1. Jesus knew that His hour had come (compare 2:4; 7:6,8,30; 12:23,27; 17:1) to pass from this world to the Father. Now death was close to Him. He accepted her to fulfill the will of the Father. And because he loved humanity (3:16). But with special love He loved His sheep who were in the world. He demonstrated the fullness of this love through action: His humble service to people (13:1-17), His teaching (13:18 - 17:26) and, finally, His death (chapters 18-19).

John 13:2-4. And during the supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Simon Iscariot to betray Him... This had already been predicted by Jesus earlier (6:70-71). And now Satan entered Judas (13:27). Nevertheless, all events were under God's control. Jesus knew (verses 1:18) that He had free will, He knew His omnipotent power, as well as what He had to do; and before it was to take place. He willingly took on the role of servant by washing the feet of His disciples. How strikingly different His actions were from their selfish aspirations (Matt. 20:20-24; Mark 9:33-34; Luke 22:24-30), and how the essence of His entire earthly ministry was reflected in these actions! (Phil. 2:5-8.)

John 13:5. Washing one's feet upon entering a house was a necessary procedure in Palestine. The streets and roads were covered with dust, and people wore sandals "barefoot." It was a sign of hospitality to wash the feet of guests (which was usually done by servants), and, on the contrary, it would be disrespectful to the guest not to do this (1 Sam. 25:41; Luke 7:40-50; 1 Tim. 5:10 ). Husbands, as a rule, washed their wives' feet, and parents - their children.

John 13:6-8. Peter, who sensed only a strange “reversal of roles” in Jesus’ actions, exclaims: “Are you the one to wash my feet?” Are you (emotionally emphasized in both Greek and Russian texts), My Lord? To which Jesus replies: now you do not understand the meaning of My actions, but later you will understand.

“You will never wash my feet,” objects Peter, who could not accept Jesus in the role of a servant in relation to himself. And this is another example of Peter's hasty judgment (Mark 8:32; 9:5).

The new meaning that Jesus puts into His next remark is significant: If I do not wash you (note: “not your feet”), you have no part with Me. This means: "Until I wash away your sins in My atoning death (Rev. 1:5), you will not have true fellowship with Me" (1 John 1:7).

John 13:9-10. Peter still did not understand the spiritual essence of what was happening, but he undoubtedly always wanted to be with Jesus. And therefore he readily offered Him not only to wash his feet, but also his hands and head. Jesus answered him: He who has been washed only needs to wash his feet, because he is all clean. The meaning of His words is that the disciples saved by Him, constantly in communion with Him, are already pure, and the only thing they need is “washing their feet” (an image of confessing sins), since they continue to live (“walk with their feet ") among sinful, unsaved people; daily repentance corresponds to the “regular” cleansing from sins through the death of Jesus Christ (1 John 1:7; 2:1-2).

When Jesus said you are clean, but you are not all, he meant Judas (John 13:11,18).

John 13:11. Judas did not accept the cleansing and life-giving words of Jesus (6:63,15:3); rejecting them in his heart, he remained under the influence of sin. His feet, if they were washed, were washed literally: in the spiritual sense, Jesus’ action did not touch him. John again emphasizes the supernatural knowledge of Christ (compare 2:25; 4:29), who knew in advance Judas' decision to betray Him.

John 13:12-14. Having given his disciples a lesson in humble service, Jesus drew their attention to its importance with His question: Do you know what I have done to you? (compare verse 7). And further He emphasizes that he really is the Teacher and the Lord, that is, in all respects he stands above them. Yet He humbled Himself to serve them. They should do the same, sacrificially meeting the needs of other people.

John 13:15-16. After washing the disciples' feet, Jesus gave them an example. Meanwhile, throughout the history of the Church, among believers, foot washing was often practiced as a mandatory rite. Despite the fact that in most countries, especially nowadays, there is no need to wash off the dust from the feet of guests. Let us note that in the apostolic age, when the Lord's Supper was celebrated constantly as a sacrament bequeathed by Him, the washing of feet in church meetings, judging by the available data, was not practiced.

The example set by the Lord was an example of inner humility and did not imply the establishment of a certain ritual. Even the custom of Christian widows, mentioned by Timothy, “to wash the feet of the saints” (1 Tim. 5:10) speaks not of the existence of a corresponding church rite, but of the humble service of these widows to other believers. Anyone who thinks of himself that he is greater than his master, that is, driven by pride, of course, does not follow the example of Jesus.

John 13:17. God blesses His servants not for knowing what they should know, but for doing what they know. Blessed, that is, happy (because they please God) are such.

2. JESUS ​​PREDICTS THAT HE WILL BE BETRAYED (13:18-30)

John 13:18-19. Jesus has just made it clear that “happiness” is the fruit of obedience (verse 17). But not all of you will be obedient, He notes sadly. One of you is a traitor.

Jesus' choice of Judas, however, was not an accident or a mistake in God's plan. I know whom I have chosen, and that one of you is a traitor, says the Lord, but this is how the will of the Father, expressed in Scripture, must be fulfilled. Jesus quotes verse 10 from Psalm 40, which foretells the fate of the Messiah. Just as David was betrayed by his companion Ahithophel, who later hanged himself (2 Samuel 16:20 - 17:3,23), Judas, who was so close to Jesus, betrayed Him, and also then hanged himself.

Although God knew everything about Judas in advance, the responsibility for his actions falls on him. There is also “another side” to this situation. The fact that Jesus knew what was awaiting Him before it happened, and its correspondence to what was predicted in Scripture, helped the disciples, when it came true, to believe that Jesus is Lord (13:19; compare 14:29).

John 13:20. Just as the high and sacred title of Jesus was determined by the fact that He fulfilled the task entrusted to Him by the Father, and, therefore, represented Him, the disciples represented Jesus. Thus, the one who receives the disciples of Jesus receives Him Himself, and, therefore, receives the Heavenly Father.

John 13:21. Jesus was indignant (in the sense of “worried”, “saddened” - the Greek word “etarakhthe”) in spirit... The same word characterizes His spiritual state in 11:33; 12:27 (Jesus uses the same root word in 14:1,27; translated as “confused”). As a man, Jesus could not help but worry that Judas would betray Him, His loving Friend. Being God, He knew in advance that this was going to happen. Christ acutely felt the bitterness that took possession of the heart of Judas, his spiritual “deadness.” The Word testified and the “formula” that follows it, truly, truly, I tell you, emphasize the solemnity of Jesus’ tone.

John 13:22. That anyone from this small circle of people closest to Jesus would be capable of doing this to Him was beyond the understanding of the disciples. Judas disguised himself so skillfully that it never occurred to anyone to suspect him.

John 13:23-24. Simon Peter, who occupied a leading position among the disciples and, perhaps, the most emotional of them, may have intended to “take on the traitor.” (Note that Luke - Luke 22:38,49-50 - mentions that the disciples had two swords at their disposal!) The disciple whom Jesus loved is by all accounts. John is the author of this Gospel (Introduction).

John and Judas reclined next to Jesus, but Peter’s place at the meal was some distance from the Teacher, so he could not ask Jesus about the traitor without others noticing. Therefore, Peter signaled to John to ask whom Jesus meant.

John 13:25-27. He, falling to the chest of Jesus, asked: Lord! who is this?

The piece of bread that Jesus gave to Judas was a “sign” only for John, because in this gesture itself there was nothing unusual for the participants in the dinner (in the East it was customary for the host of the feast to provide bread and other things to the guests); but this same “movement” of Christ towards Judas was also His last attempt to awaken good feelings in the “betrayer”. And how sadly symbolic that a gesture of friendly disposition served in this situation as a signal of betrayal about to take place!

For those who are hardened in heart, the very disposition of those against whom their hardness is directed produces the opposite effect. And after this piece Satan entered him - this is one of the most terrible phrases in the Bible. From that moment on, Satan began to work through Judas to fulfill his purpose. Seeing the state of Judas, the Lord “hurries” him: whatever you are doing, do it quickly. Ultimately, everything had to happen according to the “schedule” laid out by the Father.

John 13:28-30. But none of those reclining understood the words of Jesus; Apparently, the beloved disciple, John, did not realize the sign given to him and only later understood its meaning. And when Judas came out, no one thought anything bad about him. Everyone decided that as the “treasurer” of the group, he was sent to buy something needed for the holiday, or to give something to the poor.

And it was night - here this phrase not only indicates the time of day, but has a symbolic meaning: Judas left the Light (8:12; 12:35,46) in the “night” of sin (3:19); and for all the disciples that spiritual night was coming, about which Christ had spoken to them before (9:4; 11:10).

B. The Departure of Jesus Is Near (13:31-38)

John 13:31-32. After Judas left, the events leading to the death of Jesus began to happen one after another. The tension felt by Christ, which Satan had pumped through Judas, subsided. The tension of expectation that invariably accompanied Christ throughout His entire path to death was soon to be left behind (Luke 12:50).

In these two verses the words glorified and glorified are repeated five times. The unparalleled glory of Jesus was to be revealed in His death. The Heavenly Father was also glorified through the death of the Son, since in it the love of the Divine for humanity, the full measure of His condescension towards people and His absolute righteousness were revealed (John 1:14; Rom. 3:21-26). The phrase and God... will soon glorify Him implies the resurrection and ascension of Christ.

John 13:33. Children (the Greek word "teknia" - literally "my little children") here expresses the touching love of Jesus for the disciples and His concern for their fate. In this Gospel, teknia sounds only in His mouth, and only once. John himself uses it seven times in the First Epistle (1 John 2:1,12,28; 3:7,18; 4:4; 5:21); We meet him once in Paul - in Gal. 4:19.

Jesus again announces that he must leave them, and that they will not be able to find Him or follow Him (Matt. 23:29; John 7:34; 8:21; 12:8,35). He meant both His death and His ascension.

John 13:34-35. The key to the survival of Christ's eleven disciples in His absence will be following the example of love that He set for them. This commandment was new in the sense that it called for a special mutual love of believers, which was based on the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ for them: as I have loved you, so should you love one another. Effective love for each other will give them the opportunity to survive in the hostile world around them. Just as Jesus “embodied” the love of the Father in Himself, so each of His disciples must become the embodiment of Christ’s love for people. Love will be their testimony to the world and to everyone who believes (1 John 3:14).

John 13:36-38. Peter, quick to react, immediately asked: Lord! where are you going? (compare with Thomas's similar question in 14:5). Peter loved the Teacher dearly and did not want to part with Him. But Jesus answered him that now it was impossible for him to follow Him, but the time would come when Peter would go where He was going. However, the “eldest” of Christ’s disciples was not able to perceive His words in all their inevitability.

He was confident that he would have the love for Jesus and the courage not to give up even in the face of the threat of death. “I will lay down my soul for You,” Peter declared passionately. But he did not properly know himself, nor the satanic power that acted against him (Luke 22:31-32). Jesus knew about Peter’s impending denial; you will deny Me three times); these words of His should have amazed the rest of the disciples. They might even think that Peter was the traitor the Teacher spoke about (John 13:21-25).

C. Jesus - the way to the Father (14:1-14)

You can imagine how discouraged and sad the disciples were. Jesus said that He was leaving them (7:34; 8:21; 12:8,35; 13:33), that He was going to die (12:32-33); that one of the Twelve is a traitor (3:21); that even Peter would deny Him three times (13:38); that Satan is working against them all (Luke 22:31-32); finally, that they will all be “scattered,” that is, scattered (Matt. 26:31). Taken together, all these revelations must have weighed heavily on the disciples.

1 Before the Feast of Passover, Jesus, knowing that His hour had come to depart from this world to the Father, showed by deeds that, having loved His who were in the world, He loved them to the end.

2 And during the supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Simon Iscariot to betray Him,

3 Jesus, knowing that the Father has given all things into His hands, and that He came from God and is going to God,

4 He arose from supper, took off His outer garment, and taking a towel, girded Himself.

5 Then he poured water into the basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and dry them with the towel with which he was girded.

6 He came to Simon Peter, and he said to Him: Lord! Should you wash my feet?

7 Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not know now, but you will understand later.”

8 Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never 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! not only my feet, but also my hands and head.

10 Jesus saith unto him, He that is washed needeth only to wash his feet, for he is all clean; and you are clean, but not all.

11 For He knew His betrayer, therefore He said: You are not all pure.

Washing the feet. Artist Y. Sh von KAROLSFELD

12 When he had washed their feet and put on his clothes, he lay down again and said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?”

13 You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you speak correctly, for I am exactly that.

14 If therefore I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.

15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do the same as I have done to you.

16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, and a messenger is not greater than him who sent him.

17 If you know this, blessed are you when you do it.

18 I am not talking about all of you; I know whom I chose. But let the Scripture be fulfilled: He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.

19 Now I tell you before it comes to pass, so that when it comes to pass, you may believe that it is I.

20 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives him whom I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.

21 Having said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.”

22 Then the disciples looked around at each other, wondering who He was talking about.

23 And one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at Jesus’ breast.

24 Simon Peter made a sign to him and asked who it was that he was talking about.

25 He fell to the chest of Jesus and said to Him: Lord! who is this?

26 Jesus answered, “He is the one to whom I dip a piece of bread and give it.” And, having dipped the piece, he gave it to Judas Simon Iscariot.

27 And after this piece Satan entered into him. Then Jesus said to him, “Whatever you are doing, do it quickly.”

28 But none of those reclining understood why He said this to him.

29 And since Judas had a box, some thought that Jesus was saying to him: buy what we need for the holiday, or to give something to the poor.

30 He took the piece and immediately went out; and it was night.

31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him.”

32 If God was glorified in Him, God also will glorify Him in Himself, and will soon glorify Him.

33 Children! I won't be with you for long. You will seek Me, and just as I told the Jews that where I go you cannot come, so I tell you now.

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, let you also love one another.

35 By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.

36 Simon Peter said to Him: Lord! where are you going? Jesus answered him: Where I am going, you cannot follow Me now, but later you will follow Me.

37 Peter said to Him: Lord! Why can’t I follow You now? I will lay down my soul for You.

38 Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for Me?” Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow until you have denied Me three times.

32 Mary, coming to where Jesus was and seeing Him, fell at His feet and said to Him: Lord! If you had been here, my brother would not have died.

33 When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who came with her weeping, He Himself was grieved in spirit and was indignant, 34 and said, “Where have you laid him?”

They say to Him: Lord! come and see.

35 Jesus shed tears. 36 Then the Jews said, Look how he loved him.

37 And some of them said, “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind man, have ensured that this one also should not die?”

38 Jesus, again grieving inwardly, comes to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay on it. 39 Jesus says: Take away the stone.

The sister of the deceased, Martha, said to Him: Lord! already stinks; for he has been in the tomb for four days.

40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that, If you believe, will you see the glory of God? 41 So they took away the stone from caves, where the deceased lay. Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said: Father! I thank You that You heard Me. 42 I knew that You would always hear Me; but he said this for the people standing here, so that they may believe that You sent Me. 43 Having said this, He cried out with a loud voice: Lazarus! get out. 44 And the dead man came out, bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and a handkerchief tied around his face. Jesus says to them: Untie him, let him go.

The Pharisees plot to kill Christ

45 Then many of the Jews who came to Mary and saw what Jesus had done believed in Him. 46 And some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees held a council and said, “What should we do?” This Man does many miracles. 48 If we leave Him like this, then everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take possession of both our place and our people.

49 But one of them, a certain Caiaphas, being the high priest that year, said to them: You know nothing, 50 and you will not think that it is better for us that one man should die for the people, than that the whole people should perish. 51 But he did not say this on his own, but, being high priest that year, he predicted that Jesus would die for the people, 52 and not only for the people, but that he might also gather together the scattered children of God.

53 From that day on they decided to kill Him. 54 Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to a country near the desert, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.

55 The Passover of the Jews was approaching, and many from all over the country came to Jerusalem before the Passover to be cleansed. 56 Then they looked for Jesus, and standing in the temple, they said to one another, “What do you think?” won't He come to the festival? 57 The chief priests and the Pharisees gave orders that if anyone knew where He would be, they would announce it in order to take Him.