John 13 - Jesus Serves
Study Passage: John 13
It’s probably safe to say that you’ve heard about Jesus. It’s also likely that you have an opinion about Him. But have you ever considered where your feelings and beliefs about Jesus come from? Would you be willing to hear Him out? Let’s say you were there, 2000 years ago, and Jesus was nearing His death and He wanted to talk to you. Would you give Him the chance to tell you about Himself, instead of just listening to what others had to say? THIS IS YOUR CHANCE. One of Jesus’ closest friends, John, recorded the events of Jesus’ last evening with His disciples in John 13-17.
This week is our first week of reading in John as he recounts Jesus’ preparations and predictions leading up to His death. Let’s start in John 13, as we are invited into THE UPPER ROOM to share these final moments and teachings of Jesus. We have a lot to cover, so let’s dive in.
DAY 1 - READ AND REFLECT
READ John 13 all the way through. Now read John 13 again — preferably in a different Bible translation to get a clearer perspective of what the passage is saying. Get in the habit of asking good questions and taking notes!
What observations or questions come to mind?
What repetitive words or phrases do you notice?
What words stand out that are worth looking at in different Bible translation?
TIP: Keep an eye on the theme of LOVE in John 13 and the Bible studies coming up. John barely touches it in the first twelve chapters of his gospel, but it’s mentioned more than 30 times in the account of the upper room!
DAY 2 - WASHING THE DISCIPLES FEET (JOHN 13:1-18)
As we READ the beginning of John 13, we’ll notice a repetitive pattern in Jesus’ words. Read the verses below and fill in the blanks.
Verse 1: Jesus ________ the time had come for him to leave this world
Verse 3: Jesus ________ that the Father had put all things under His power
Verse 11: He ________ who was going to betray Him
Verse 18: He ________ those He had chosen
In saying these things, Jesus reminded His disciples (and us) that He is in control. He is all knowing. He is sovereign–has authority over all. He is not bound by time. We don’t just see this here, the author John gave us this information earlier in the book in John 1. Read John 1:1-11 to gain more CONTEXT. What else do you learn about Jesus through these verses?
Before dinner, Jesus washed the feet of the disciples (John 13:4-11), a menial task normally done by a servant. Here He was their LORD, and yet humbled Himself to a SERVANT’S position. Jesus then said, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand” (vs. 7, NIV). As we read more about Jesus throughout the New Testament to understand the CONTEXT, we see that He was implying multiple meanings behind this one simple phrase. Let’s look at some of those verses below. He washed His disciples feet to:
Teach a lesson about servanthood and humility in ministry (Luke 22:27)
Draw the parallel of the sacrifice and selfless act He would soon make on the cross (Philippians 2:5-8)
Show that He was willing to cleanse not only the outside of their bodies but the inside of their heart - their sin (Hebrews 9:11-14)
What significance do these three meanings bring to this one single act?
DIGGING DEEPER (optional): Jesus taught an additional lesson through washing His disciples feet. READ John 13:17 in the NIV (New International Version) translation. What conclusion do you come to when reading this verse? Now READ this verse in the KJV (King James Version). What conclusion do you come to now? Many Bible translations used the word “blessed” — which in the original Greek is correct, but that word in Greek also means happy, privileged or fortunate. Jesus is telling His disciples that if we follow His example by serving others in the name of Christ, we will be HAPPY. How does that change your interpretation of this verse?
DAY 3 - THE PREDICTION (JOHN 13:18-32)
After washing His disciples feet, Jesus then moved on to set up the prediction of His betrayal by quoting Psalm 41:9. He used this psalm to remind His disciples that people that eat bread together normally have an intimate relationship-but that’s not always the case. As we understand the HISTORY, this psalm is likely referring to the close relationship between David and his counselor Ahithophel, which turned sour when he later betrayed David (2 Samuel 15).
In John 13:26, we see Jesus announce His betrayer by saying, “He’s the one I give the piece of bread to after I have dipped it” (CSB). What normally indicated a close relationship, Jesus showed the juxtaposition as He shared the bread with Judas and identified His traitor. Did Jesus make a mistake when he chose Judas to be one of His 12 close disciples? Read John 13:18-20. Why did Judas’ betrayal need to happen? Why do you suppose it was important to Jesus that his disciples knew the betrayal was part of the plan?
In John 13:31-32 Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once” (NIV). If we were doing an entire study on the book of John, we’d start to understand this passage more clearly. Continually throughout His life, Jesus pointed not to Himself, but to God and the glory Jesus would bring to God alone. Read the following passages to understand the CONTEXT. What do you learn about Jesus’ purpose?
John 5:19
John 5:30
John 6:38
John 7:16-18
John 8:50
Jesus was headed toward His death, which to the average person would mean He was headed toward suffering and death — not glory! Jesus did not waver from His purpose. He came to glorify the Father to the end. Read 1 Corinthians 10:31 to gain more CONTEXT. What is your purpose? Where in the “whatever you do” can you bring glory to God by seeking His will over your own?
DIGGING DEEPER (optional): Studying different people in the Bible is a great way to understand the similarities that are drawn across their lives, and also capture the deeper meaning that is conveyed in a person’s words. Read 2 Samuel 17:23 to understand the HISTORY of the death of David’s counselor Anithophel. Now read Acts 1:18 to understand the death of Judas. What do these two deaths have in common? How does that change your perspective on why Jesus used a psalm portraying David and Anithophel’s relationship?
READ John 13:26 again and notice the detail the author gives us! It was in this devastating moment that John used Judas’ full name when identifying him as the betrayer. Why do you think He did that?
DAY 4 - LOVE ONE ANOTHER (JOHN 13:33-38)
In John 13:33-35, Jesus let His disciples know they can’t go where He’s going, and then Jesus gave a new (yet not so new, see Leviticus 19:18 and Matthew 22:39) command — TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER. Jesus is repeating it here for a reason. It’s of obvious importance as Jesus teaches these last lessons to His disciples. Read 1 John 3:18-24 and 4:7-8, 11-12 to understand the CONTEXT from the same AUTHOR. Why are we called to love?
Let’s turn our attention to Peter in the upper room. Did you notice his response to Jesus washing his feet (vs. 6)? As we read more CONTEXT about Peter throughout the New Testament, we repeatedly see him have courage, push back on Jesus, ask questions and be bold! At the end of chapter 13, Peter jumped past the command to love (vs. 36) and focused on where Jesus was going. Asking questions again! Even though Peter made mistakes, and at one point denied he knew Christ, Jesus didn’t give up on him. He never once discouraged Peter’s questions. Read Matthew 4:18-20 (Jesus first meets Peter), Luke 24:33-34 (Jesus appears to Peter first) and John 21:15-17 (Jesus restores Peter).
How does understanding Peter’s relationship with Jesus change how you should approach your relationship with Jesus? What comfort do you get in knowing that Jesus welcomes people who make mistakes and ask questions?
Knowing what we learned this week in John 13, how can we APPLY this passage to our lives?
Friends, we have unpacked a lot this week. We now see deeper meaning behind Jesus’ words, have understanding in Jesus’ call for us to love one another, and have begun to realize that asking questions like Peter can bring us into a closer relationship with Christ. And we’re just getting started! Join us next week, as we unwrap Jesus’ final teachings from the upper room in John 14.
Written by: Heather Erickson
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