A New Commandment - John 13

In John 13 we find Jesus sitting down to eat his last meal with his disciples. You'd think he'd be taking the opportunity to really relax and enjoy this time. But instead he jumps up and engages in the most demeaning task imaginable (for the time): washing his disciples' feet. Why? What was the point? Join Malcolm as he unpacks why and how this menial task informs one of the core priorities of Jesus' followers.

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Introduction

Welcome back to our series in the Gospel of John. This week we’re up to John chapter 13. This is a crucial transition in John’s gospel, and this chapter begins what is called the “final discourse.” This lengthy section, running from chapter 13 to chapter 17, recounts how Jesus taught his disciples on the last night before he was nailed to a cross to die.

I spent some time trying to create an elegant sermon from the key points of this chapter, but in the end I realised I just needed to present John’s text, and explore what it meant. So let’s dive in.

Washing the feet

John 13:1–17 NLT

1 Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end. 2 It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. 4 So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him. 6 When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.” 8 “No,” Peter protested, “you will never ever wash my feet!” Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.” 9 Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!” 10 Jesus replied, “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For Jesus knew who would betray him. That is what he meant when he said, “Not all of you are clean.” 12 After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? 13 You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. 15 I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. 16 I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. 17 Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.

What does washing the feet mean?

OK. Now, I don’t know if you noticed, but in verse 14, Jesus said,

John 13:14 NLT

14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet.

That sounds like a command, right? If so, then why don’t you see churches doing this on a regular basis?

The reason is both complex and simple. You see, when we read the Bible—even Jesus’ words, like this—we are reading a complex piece of literature. The Gospels are a type of ancient biography that follows certain literary conventions. Jesus himself used many forms of communication to share his message. If we take a parable, such as the parable of the unjust steward, and interpret it as historical fact, we will be very confused. If we take hyperbole, such as Jesus demand cutting out our own eye if it causes us to sin, and interpret that as a simple command, we will cause ourselves all sorts of damage. In the same way, if we take an example of a principle, such as this, and interpret the example as a simple command, we will miss the bigger point.

The question, of course, is how we know whether a particular passage is a parable, hyperbole, an example or just a simple command. The answer is threefold: context, context, and context.

Immediate context: an opportunity

First, we look at the immediate context—the text around the passage. Is this a collection of parables or labelled as a parable, for example? In this case, we have an historical record of Jesus’ last supper with his disciples. He sees an opportunity to teach them, so he responds in the moment. Note verse 4,

John 13:4 NLT

4 So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist,

Jesus wasn’t waiting at the door to wash their feet, he seized an opportunity. That’s one clue: Jesus was responding to a particular cultural situation.

Broader context: foot washing in 1st Century

The second context to examine is the broader context of the text, such as the entirety of the Bible, along with the historical context. Is foot washing a common religious metaphor in the Bible? No, it is not. Of course, washing is a common metaphor, and Jesus is clearly leaning into this metaphor when he responds to Peter:

John 13:9–11 NLT

9 Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!” 10 Jesus replied, “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For Jesus knew who would betray him. That is what he meant when he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

John, in writing the gospel, makes sure we don’t miss this metaphor by explicitly applying it to Judas, whose betrayal reveals a filthy soul.

We know from the end of the John’s gospel, and from the rest of the New Testament, that the metaphor of washing is applied to the effect of Jesus blood on our souls. So we can see here that Jesus is relating his act of foot washing to his saving death on the cross.

But since the washing of feet in particular is not a common thing in the Bible, we must ask ourselves why Jesus choose to do this particular action, and ask his disciples to follow his example. In a moment, when we look further into chapter 13, we’ll see how he uses this as an example of something he wants the disciples to do. But first, let’s look at the historical and cultural perspective of foot washing. How was it regarded in Jesus’ time?

In Jesus’ time, foot washing was a pretty yucky job. Feet got very dirty on dusty, manure covered streets and roads, protected only by sandals. Generally only servants would wash feet, and lower, non-Jewish servants, at that. If a mother wanted to give an extravagant expression of her love, she might wash her child’s feet, but a father would never stoop to that. As for a rabbi, it was virtually unthinkable.

It is extremely hard for our modern minds to understand how shocking Jesus action was, because this very action (and, of course, his even more shocking action of going to the cross) have so completely transformed our society. Before Jesus, the idea of a servant leader was a bit of an oxymoron. Servants were at one end of the social scale, leaders at the other. How could you combine that?

Our concept of servant leadership, on the other hand, combined with our generally quite clean feet, makes our attempts to re-enact this amazing action almost meaningless. A more close parallel might be if your member of parliament turned up to unblock your disastrously messy toilet for you. But even that is not so shocking due to our concept of servant leadership.

So, from the broader context we can see that Jesus is saying, “don’t be afraid to demean yourself in order to show your care for one another.”

Broadest context: historical understanding

Finally, we can look at the broadest context possible: looking at two-thousand years of understanding and application of this passage. What we find is that Jesus’ washing of the disciples’ feet is generally understood as an example of his great love for them. In fact, most teachers believe Jesus was using this action to prepare the disciples to understand his death on the cross.

Paul talks about Jesus movement towards the cross in Philippians, quoting from what was probably a hymn, already in common use in the church a decade or so after Jesus death:

Philippians 2:5–8 NLT

5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

Just as the cross became a symbol and example for us, so that when we “take up our cross” we don’t literally carry around a huge chunk of wood to get nailed to, so foot washing is a lesser symbol and example for us.

John 13:15 NLT

15 I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.

Love one another

Now, I mentioned that Jesus was going to use his foot washing as an example in his teaching towards the end of the chapter. So let’s skip over the details of Judas’ betrayal, straight to that teaching.

John 13:31–35 NLT

31 As soon as Judas left the room, Jesus said, “The time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory, and God will be glorified because of him. 32 And since God receives glory because of the Son, he will give his own glory to the Son, and he will do so at once. 33 Dear children, I will be with you only a little longer. And as I told the Jewish leaders, you will search for me, but you can’t come where I am going. 34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

In the first part of this teaching, Jesus reveals that his time has now come. He speaks of glory and glorification, and then of going away. He is speaking, of course, of the cross. Despite its ugliness, Jesus understands what the cross is truly about: it is truly about God’s glory. God’s glory here is his majesty, his worthiness, his goodness, righteousness, justice and mercy.

The new command

So, in light of God’s glory and his eminent departure, Jesus has a new command for his disciples. Let me show you the ESV translation which is more memorable:

John 13:34 ESV

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

Of course, the idea that the disciples should love one another is hardly new, is it? In the other gospels, Jesus has already taught:

Luke 10:27 NLT

27 The man answered, “ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”

These, the “two greatest commandments” are often represented as the vertical and horizontal directions of love. As in this diagram.

What, then is left to say about loving?

Indeed, there are many ministries, many churches, that don’t take this commandment of Jesus very seriously. They see it as redundant. For example, one of my favourite ministries says this:

There are three great loves at the heart of Christianity: love for God, love for our neighbour and love for the lost.

This is tragically false. The first two loves are certainly Biblical, because they are simply the first and second greatest commandments. But the third, loving the lost (the “lost” here are those who have not abandoned their lives to Jesus)? It might shock you to discover that nowhere in the Bible are we instructed to “love the lost.” Now, don’t misunderstand me. I am not saying that we should not love the lost. I am merely saying that the Bible never gives us that precise command. Rather, we read things like:

John 3:16 ESV

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

The “world” here is essentially “the lost.” But note that this is an observation about God, not an obligation on us.

Also,

Matthew 15:24 NLT

24 Then Jesus said to the woman, “I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep—the people of Israel.”

This, of course, is Jesus’ articulation of his ministry before the cross. This is quite clearly not our ministry as the church.

We also read,

Matthew 5:43–44 NLT

43 “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!

Our enemies may not always be “the lost” but sometimes they will be, and Jesus tells us to love them, especially when they are hard to love.

And, of course, “the lost” might also be our neighbours, in which case they are already covered by the second greatest commandment.

In Scripture we see Paul’s deep compassion for the lost, and the way the church remains in the world as Jesus’ body in order to reach the lost, and so forth.

But nowhere is there any suggestion that a third in a trio of loves is “love for the lost.”

That’s just not Biblical.

Instead, the Biblical third love is this new commandment: to love one another.

Why this?

At this point, you might be wondering why Jesus saw fit to give such a commandment. Why does he need to tell his followers to love one another? Isn’t it redundant? And how is it new, anyway?

As always, it’s important to pay attention to the details. Let’s look at this new commandment:

John 13:34–35 ESV

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

The first thing to notice is that Jesus qualifies what he means by love. He’s not asking his disciples to love one another in some vague, “love is love” sort of way. Rather he gives a specific sort of love that they are to show to one another, namely the way he has loved.

Now, Jesus has not yet gone to the cross, so his disciples, unlike us, are not immediately going to think of the cross when they think of how Jesus loves them, are they? What will they think of? Any ideas?

Yes, that’s right, they’ll think of the amazing display that Jesus has just put on: washing their feet! So now all of the humility and sacrifice required by that example, along with the reference to cleansing from sin, suddenly makes sense, right? Jesus was giving a lived example of the sort of love he had for the disciples, and foreshadowing the greater act of the cross.

For us, we can see that Jesus’ love for all his disciples, including us, is far deeper and greater than mere foot washing. We know that he laid down his life for us. As Paul says in Philippians, “he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

That extravagant, self-sacrificing love is the sort of love that Jesus is asking us to have for one another. That’s what is new! That’s what makes this commandment so different from the first two.

Remember that the first commandment demands that we love God with all our being. Everything in us belongs to him. This is an all-consuming love, and all other commandments and loves must somehow fit within our obedience to this command.

The second commandment asks that we love our neighbour “as we love ourselves.” It demands a love that doesn’t place ourselves above others, but rather regards them as just as important as we are, and then acts on that understanding.

This new commandment goes far beyond the second. Rather than merely loving people as much as we love ourselves, Jesus is demanding that we love our brothers and sisters more than we love ourselves. He is asking us to put our fellow disciples above our our own selves. This is what Jesus meant when he asked us to take up our cross—the cross is the symbol of sacrifice, of laying down our lives. Just like Jesus, we are to lay down our lives in many various, humiliating ways, for one another.

Limits

This sounds completely unrealistic, doesn’t it?

And that’s why it’s important to recognise the limits of this commandment. There is only really one limit on this commandment, and that is the limit on its objects. In other words, this commandment is only demanding that we love a certain group of people in this sacrificial way.

Jesus told his disciples, “love one another.” A crucial piece of context for what “one another” means is found in verse 31:

John 13:31 NLT

31 As soon as Judas left the room, Jesus said, “The time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory, and God will be glorified because of him.

Do you see it? “As soon as Judas left the room.”

Once Judas had left the room, the only people included in the “one another” were Jesus’ true disciples. Jesus wasn’t asking his disciples to love their enemies this way (he simply said “love your enemies, pray for them”)! Jesus wasn’t asking his disciples to love their neighbours this way!

This is not a trivial distinction, because sacrificial love like this is not humanly possible. If we try to love random people this way in our own strength, it will eat us alive. Rather, this type of love is only possible because of the presence of Jesus’ Spirit in each of us. When the Holy Spirit is present in each person who is loving this way, you will see a mutually sacrificial love which builds one another up. Rather than seeing one or a few people feeding others by diminishing themselves, you will see a community—a body—mutually loving one another and building one another up by sacrificing themselves for each other.

This is actually an image of God himself, the holy trinity. Throughout all eternity the Father, Son and Spirit have participated in a mutual, self-sacrificing love, and Jesus is inviting us to join in.

Wow!

The fruit

But it doesn’t stop there. This sacrificial love has extraordinary fruit.

Remember the wrong-headed idea that the third love is to love the lost? Well, loving the lost isn’t really wrong, it’s just a wrong prioritisation. You see, the fruit of the real third love is directly related to the lost:

John 13:35 ESV

35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

I cannot emphasize the importance of this verse. This verse is absolutely core to understanding the nature of the church of Jesus Christ. If we fail to understand the importance of this verse, and we often do, we will fail to be effective for Christ.

If we don’t love each other as Christ loved us, the lost will be unable see Jesus at work.

You might think I’m exaggerating. You might think prophecy or miracles would show Jesus; or social justice, caring for the poor; or extraordinary sermons, speaking in tongues, brilliant understanding of the world. But these things (by themselves) cannot show Jesus. When the church prioritises retirement and aged care, foster and kinship care, family support, youth support, or social housing, Jesus becomes invisible to the world.

Don’t believe me? Listen to Paul, in a chapter people love to read at their weddings, but don’t really understand:

1 Corinthians 13:1–3 NLT

1 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

The key to following Christ is to love properly. Jesus gives us three commandments relating to love. If we can obey them, then the world will know that we are Jesus disciples! That will lead to both persecution and revival. But it will not lead to an irrelevant, declining church.

How?

Now the million dollar question: how? How do we love one another as Jesus loved us?

Well, the example of foot washing shows that it can happen in the everyday, we just need to be on the lookout for opportunities. Foot washing also shows that this sort of love is not comfortable.

Here are some practical thoughts for us today:

We cannot love one another if we don’t spend time together. If you are not spending time with your fellow disciples, you can’t show the world Jesus. It’s that simple. Some foolish people think that Christians getting together regularly is a waste of time—they should be out there witnessing. But given that our greatest witness is our love for one another, how can we do that solo?

So, spend time with other Christians. And sure, do it in public. Meet in coffee shops. Work in each other’s front yards. Visit each other in hospital.

Don’t stint on one another. As Protestant Christians we have the strange view that we waste time or gifts if we spend it on each other rather than the lost. But that’s wrong. It was the church’s love for one another that transformed the Roman empire. The early church didn’t set up hospitals for Roman citizens, it cared for its own, and made the abandoned its own and then cared for them. Our ministry to strangers in a retirement village or a youth centre doesn’t show people Christ. It is our love for one another, which reaches out to embrace those who then see Jesus, which changes the world. We cannot follow a business model for this—business models have no room for self-sacrifice powered by the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Don’t try to do this on your own. The Spirit is a key partner in this great endeavor, and we can only love one another if we have a one another. We need to be a body, not a bunch of solo sailors.

There are many more things I could say. But I want to finish by continuing Paul’s thoughts on love. As I read out Paul’s enumeration of the characteristics of love, I would like you to be thinking and praying about how to express those aspects of love with one another.

You have a chance to love one another right now, after our final song! After all, morning tea is not about getting the energy for the drive home, is it? It’s about spending time together, looking for opportunities to love one another as Jesus loved us, and laid down his life for us.

So, are you ready to think and pray about how to love one another? Let’s go:

1 Corinthians 13:4–8 NLT

4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever!