The Gospel of John: John 13.1-11

Read and meditate on John 13.1-11.
When the mindset of Jesus is our mindset, our lives will be like His.

¹Before the Passover, when Jesus knew
His hour had come, when He would go unto
the Father and depart this world, since He
had loved His own (who were in the world), so He
loved them unto the very end. 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. ⁵Pouring water in
a basin after that, He then began
to wash the feet of His disciples, and
to wipe them with the towel and His own hands.
⁶But when He came to Simon Peter, he
said to Him, “Lord, and would You wash my feet?”
⁷And Jesus answered, “What I do you do
not understand, not now. But shortly you
will know.” ⁸And Peter said to Him, “Lord, You
shall never wash my feet!” “But if I do
not wash you,” Jesus answered, “you no part
shall have with Me.” ⁹Then Peter answered, “Lord,
then not my feet alone, but wash my head,
and wash my hands as well!” ¹⁰But Jesus said,
“He who is bathed need only wash his feet,
but is completely clean; and you are clean,
although not all of you.” ¹¹For Jesus knew
who would betray Him. So He said, “But you
are not all clean.”
- John 13.1-11

Reflect
1. John 13 is a study in mindset, specifically, what it means to have the mind of Christ. Briefly describe the various scenarios, understandings, and images that Jesus had in mind in these verses. What did He see with His mind’s eye? What did He know? Complete this prayer: Lord, I confess, much of the time I’m not very mindful about what I’m thinking. But I have Your mind, so…

2.  These thoughts would have stirred up certain affections in Jesus. What feelings were likely surfacing in Jesus’ heart, as His mind brought these matters to His attention? Observing Jesus here, what can you say about the role of the mind – our thought life – in helping our affections – feelings, emotions – function properly? Sometimes, Lord, I let my affections get the best of me. I get angry, or I resent someone, or I’m anxious or afraid. At such times, help me to remember…

3.  Conversely, let’s look at Peter. Would you say that Peter was operating in this situation out of his mind more than his heart, or was it the other way around? Explain. Is there a caveat or lesson for us in this? Give me a heart for You, Lord, and a mind saturated with Your Word, and I'll…

4.  What Jesus was thinking and feeling led Him to act. But before He could carry out His intentions, He had to prepare Himself. What did He do? As we grow in the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2.16), and our hearts beat as one with His, we will be moved to act and serve others as well. Opportunities for doing so confront us every day. What would you suggest as a good way to prepare each morning to go into your Personal Mission Field with the mind, heart, and works of Jesus? Lord, help me to prepare well every day for the work to which You’ve called me. As I go out to serve others, remind me that…

5. As we shall see, Jesus was giving His disciples an example of how they should relate to one another. He was also providing an experience of God’s grace at work. Explain. Is this an important part of the disciple-making process? Why? Finally, Jesus offered an expression of the grace of God at work in the soul. Explain. Bring together into one prayer the prayers you composed for questions 1-4.

Summary
“For what do these words ‘to the end’ mean but ‘to Christ’? ‘For Christ is the end of the law,’ says the apostle, ‘for righteousness to everyone that believes.’ He is the end that consummates, not that consumes. He is the end that we are aiming for, not our end where we perish. It is exactly in this way that we are to understand the passage, ‘Christ our Passover is sacrificed.’ He is our end. We pass into him. For I see that these Gospel words may also be taken in a kind of human sense, that Christ loved his own even unto death, so that this may be the meaning of ‘he loved them to the end.’ This meaning is human, not divine, for it was not merely up to this point that we were loved by him who loves us always and endlessly. God forbid that he whose death could not end should have ended his love at death. Even after death that proud and ungodly rich man loved his five brothers. And is Christ to be thought of as loving us only till death? God forbid, beloved. He would have come in vain with a love for us that lasted till death, if that love had ended there. But perhaps the words ‘he loved them unto the end’ may have to be understood in this way, that he so loved them as to die for them. For this he testified when he said, ‘Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.’” Augustine (354-430 AD)

The love Jesus showed His disciples is the love He wants us to bear toward one another, and to our neighbors. What obstacles do we need to overcome to love this way consistently? How can we help one another (Heb. 10.24)?

Closing Prayer
I have set the LORD always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will rest in hope.
For You will not leave my soul in Sheol,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 16.8-11

Psalm 16.8-11 (All to Christ: Jesus Paid It All)
You are ever with me, Lord; in You I shall not fall.
But rejoicing in Your Word, I abide within Your call.
    Make me know life’s way! Pleasures fill Your hand;
    Fill my life with joy each day! Before Your face I stand.

Soon Your glory I shall see, for as Jesus rose again,
You will come to gather me to my home with You in heav’n.
    Make me know life’s way! Pleasures fill Your hand;
    Fill my life with joy each day! Before Your face I stand.

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.