The Gospel of John: John 13.1-11

Read and meditate on John 13.2-4.
For Jesus, knowing was not merely an intellectual task. Knowing was a spur to action.  

                                                          ²So then,
when supper ended, and the devil in
the heart of Judas, Simon’s son, had set
the resolution to betray Him, ³Jesus, yet
aware that God had put all things into
His hands, that He had come from God, and to
Him was returning, ⁴rose from supper, laid
aside His garments, took a towel, and made
a girdle of it.

- John 13.2-4

Reflect
1.  John continues to outline what was going on in Jesus’ mind, what Jesus knew as they gathered in that upper room (vv. 1, 3). Summarize what Jesus was thinking about as He rose from the table. Complete this prayer: Lord, I think sometimes when I say I know You, or know Your Word, that what I really mean is…

2.  We note that Jesus did not share what He was thinking with His disciples. John must have learned this from Him later. What was the effect on Jesus of knowing what He knew? Can we say that we know something like Jesus knew if it does not affect us similarly? Explain. Lord, knowing You and Your Word is like seeing a map of where I should go each day, because…

3.  Jesus had previously said that knowing the truth will set a person free (Jn. 8.32). Free from what? From what did knowing the truth set Jesus free in this situation? Let Your truth set me free today, Lord, from every…

4.  We note the mention of Judas here, which Jesus certainly knew (cf. v. 11). We’ll come back to that. Mediate on verse 3. In what sense had “all things” been given to Jesus (cf. Psalm 110.103; Matt. 26.53; 28.18)? So, at the moment He was rising from that table, Jesus could have…? Lord, You have all authority, all power, and the rule over all things. In my life this means…

5.  John makes special mention of Jesus’ removing His outer garment. This act in some ways mirrors what we read in Philippians 2.5-11. Explain. What was Jesus signaling to His disciples? Bring together into one prayer the prayers you wrote from questions 1-4.

Summary
“The whole visible world proclaims the goodness of God, but nothing proclaims it so clearly as his coming among us, by which he whose state was divine assumed the condition of a slave. This was not a lowering of his dignity, but rather a manifestation of his love for us. The awesome mystery that takes place today brings us to the consequence of his action. For what is it that takes place today? The Savior washes the feet of his disciples.… Although he took upon himself everything pertaining to our condition as slaves, he took a slave’s position in a way specially suited to our own arrangements when he rose from the table. He who feeds everything beneath the heavens was reclining among the apostles, the master among slaves, the fountain of wisdom among the ignorant, the Word among those untrained in the use of words, the source of wisdom among the unlettered. He who nourishes all was reclining and eating with his disciples. He who sustains the whole world was himself receiving sustenance. Moreover, he was not satisfied with the great favor he showed his servants by sharing a meal with them. Peter, Matthew and Philip, men of the earth, reclined with him, while Michael, Gabriel and the whole army of angels stood by. Oh, the wonder of it! The angels stood by in dread, while the disciples reclined with him with the utmost familiarity! And even this marvel did not content him. ‘He rose from the table,’ as Scripture says. He who is ‘clothed in light as in a robe’ was clad in a cloak. He who wraps the heavens in clouds wrapped round himself a towel. He who pours the water into the rivers and pools tipped some water into a basin. And he before whom every knee bends in heaven and on earth and under the earth knelt to wash the feet of his disciples.” Severian of Gabala (fl. ca. 400 AD)

What do you know about Jesus? What do you know about the lost world? What do you know about His calling for your life? What should you do with what you know?

Closing Prayer
The LORD said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”
The LORD shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion.
Rule in the midst of Your enemies!
Your people shall be volunteers
In the day of Your power;
In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning,
You have the dew of Your youth.

Psalm 110.1-3

Psalm 110.1-3 (Aurelia: The Church’s One Foundation)
“Sit by Me at My right hand,” the LORDsays to my Lord,
“Until I make Your foot stand on all who hate Your Word.”
From in His Church the Savior rules all His enemies;
While those who know His favor go forth the Lord to please.

T. M. Moore

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series IV a and b: John, edited by Joel C. Elowsky, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006. Verse translation of John by T. M. Moore.