John 13:1-30

Main point: Jesus’ death is essential and sufficient for us to be made clean. Be washed, trust his
‘washing’ and follow Jesus’ humble service

Time Question Notes

5 mins Pray ● V1-11: Being ‘washed’ by Jesus is essential for Salvation

Read
● V12-17: What it means to truly be a disciple
How would you
split up the ● V18-30: Jesus is in control of the events leading to his death. Prophecy of
passage? Judas’ betrayal

15 mins 1. Why did Jesus 1. Act of service/ humility/ love

wash his
○ V8 Peter said ‘You shall never wash my feet’
disciples’ feet?
● V1-11 ○ Washing someone’s feet is the most lowly task (done by the lowest
ranking Gentile servants/ Jewish slaves often exempted from this)
○ Phil 2:5-8 ‘Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not
count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself,
by taking the form of a servant,being born in the likeness of men… he
humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even
death on a cross.’

If someone says it refers to Jesus dying on the Cross… “How is the foot-washing an
acted parable of the Cross?”
● Context/ scene setting
○ v1 ‘Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come
to depart out of this world… Jesus loved them to the end’
● Not just a simple foot-washing v7 ‘What I am doing you do not understand
now, but afterward you will understand’
○ v8 ‘share in me’
○ v11 ‘not all of you are clean’
● OT reference to ‘clean’ as a picture of being forgiven
○ Lev 16:30 ‘For on this day shall atonement be made for you to
cleanse you. You shall be clean before the Lord from all your sins.’
○ Ps 51:7 ‘Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I
shall be whiter than snow.’

2. The Cross is essential/ necessary for believers to be cleansed

○ v8 ‘If I do not wash you, you have no share (heritage/ inheritance)
with me’ - only through Jesus’ (death and resurrection) can we be
forgiven and cleansed
○ Footwashing foreshadows Jesus’ act of suffering sacrifice on the
cross. Disciples were ‘cleaned’ by their acceptance of Jesus
 3. The Cross is sufficient
● V10 ‘the one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is
completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.’
● Once clean, we do not need to bath again but need to remain dependent on
Jesus

7 mins 2. Why did Jesus 4. Example for us to emulate this act of humility (v14) to be ‘blessed’
wash his
○ V14 ‘If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also
disciples’ feet?
● V12-17 ought to wash one another’s feet’ - Jesus the Creator God who (v3
‘knowing that the Father has given all things into his hand’) still chose
to serve
○ To do ‘as’ he did (v15) not ‘what’ he did, serve Christ and others/ die
to self
○ Genuine faith will be matched by obedient action
● Thus, we should expect to face the same sort of treatment Jesus did if we
follow his example

7 mins 3. What do we Jesus is in control and know all things, including the timing of his death
learn about Jesus
● V18 ‘I know whom I have chosen’; V21 ‘one of you will betray me’, v26 ‘It is
in v18-30?
who I give this morsel of bread; v27 ‘What you are going to do, do quickly’’
Note: We also ● V19 ‘Scripture will be fulfilled’ - OT Psalm 41:9 ‘Even my close friend in whom
see this
I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.’
throughout the
passage ● Jesus still chose to wash Judas’ feet although he would betray him
● Peter is cleaned although he would deny Jesus 3 times (only by the grace of
God)
● v1,3,11,18 repetition of “know/knew”, v7 ‘afterward you will understand’

6 mins Main point

25 mins Application Q: 1) What should motivate us to ‘wash one another’s feet’?

a) Humility of Jesus (Father has given all things to) - we are not greater
than our master
b) Those who serve in willing obedience are called ‘blessed’ in v18
c) Jesus’ sacrificial love and service

2) What would it look like for us to wash one another’s feet? How do we intend to
put this into action in the coming week?
a) Love those who we find difficult to (because Christ first loved us) e.g.
Walk with others through difficult times
b) Pray for those we find difficult to love

3) What would it look like for us to have Peter’s willingness to accept Jesus’
cross? (v9)
a) Be excited and unashamed of Jesus’ death in our conversations

10 mins Pray