Doing As Jesus Did

Doing As Jesus Did

John 13:1-17   

 

Illus. Say AND Do.

 

       As we turn to John 13 this morning, we not only turn to a new chapter in the book, but also a new focus in Jesus’ ministry. Chapters 1 through 12 cover three years of Jesus’ public ministry, but chapters 13 through 19 cover just 24 to 36 hours. It was at the end of John 12, verse 36, where Jesus had given a final call for all to believe.:

 

John 12:36, While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.” These things Jesus proclaimed, and He went away and hid Himself from them.  

 

In chapters 1-12, we noted a theme, the word “believe.” It is found 98 times in the book of John, and 77 of those times are in chapters 1 to 12.  If we average this out, in the first 12 chapters, the word “ believe” is found around 6.5 times per chapter, and in the last nine chapters, around 2.5. Things slow down a bit as we turn to chapter 13. The reason for this is because the attention is turned from those who largely don’t believe to those who largely do, specifically, His disciples.

Chapters 13 to 17 are known as the “Upper Room Discourse,” when Jesus focuses on His disciples as He shares His final Passover meal with them before He is arrested, tried, and crucified. Jesus had only hours left with His disciples, certainly His words and ways were given with intention and are given great attention.

Illus. Final Hours.

 

Jesus’ attention centers on His disciples for the next few chapters.  He will have much to say to them, and what is clear is that the world is outside the room. Inside the room are His disciples. Those who had walked with Him and were chosen to follow Him. With limited time remaining, the big question then is, what final words would He center on? What would He start with, where would He begin?

Here we see just what He started with as He sat down with His disciples for His final Passover meal with them…But the shift in focus toward His disciples does not begin with what He said to them, but what He would show them. Rather than say something, here in John 13, Jesus shows them something and then tells them something about what He showed them.

What He shows them is a display of service and humility by getting up so He could kneel down and wash His disciples’ feet. Verse 15, I gave you an example, so that you also would do just as I did for you.

Jesus didn’t just want His disciples to do as He said, but to do as He did. While it is the 12 disciples in the room at that time, I want to define the disciple for us this morning. It is a word that means learner or follower. Jesus turns the attention to His disciples and calls them to do as He did. These words surely applied to the disciples who sat in the room with Him on that day, and they also apply to those called disciples in this room today. Jesus calls His disciples to do as He did, we will seek to understand what He did, and apply it in the lives we live as we study these verses this morning.

 

John 13:1-17

 

Verses 1 to 3 set the scene for us. Jesus was having Passover supper with His disciples. In verse one, we are told that He knew that His hour had come and would depart from this world, that He loved His own who were in the world and He loved them to the end. We learn in verse two that Judas, the disciple who was going to betray Jesus, was there at the supper. From verse three, we understand that at this time, Jesus knew that the Father had handed all things over to Him, that He had come forth from God and was going back to God. He had been given all things; they were handed over to Him, given to Him. From there, Jesus springs into action. Verse four begins by informing us that He got up. That is the first action, the first thing He did at this dinner as recorded by John. As noted, in Verse 15, Jesus said to His disciples, “ I gave you an example, so that you also would do just as I did for you.” This leads us to the first example in chapter 13 given by Jesus that will help us do as He did…

 

1. He Got Up to Serve with All He Was Given

 

• Before getting into what Jesus did, I want to look at what He was given…

 

John 13:3-4, Jesus, knowing that the Father had handed all things over to Him, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, got up from supper and *laid His outer garments aside; and He took a towel and tied it around Himself.

 

• When verse three tells us that Jesus knew all things had been handed over to Him, that He had come forth from God, and was going back to God. From verse one we know that He knew that His hour had come.

 

• While we are being told He knew these things, it is important to note that His knowing these things was not new to Him, He did not come to know them at this hour.

 

• Jesus had spoken a great deal about His hour.

 

• First, Jesus had said many times because that His hour had not yet come (2:4; 7:30; 8:20), but in John 12:23, He said that “the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.”

 

• After making that statement, He spoke about the type of death He would die, that He would be “lifted up” on the cross.

 

• Not only did Jesus know that the hour had come, He knew what He had been given, where He came from, and where He was going.

 

• Jesus said many times up to this point in the book of John that He had come forth from God, John 3:13; 5:37; 6:46, 57; 7:29; 8:18, 42; 12:49).

 

John 1:1-3, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being.

 

John 1:14, And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

 

• John 8:42, Jesus said He had “come forth from God.”

 

• Jesus also spoke about where He was going…

 

• After giving a tough teaching declaring that He is the bread of life, the people had a hard time accepting what He was saying…

 

John 7:33, “For a little while longer I am going to be with you, and then I am going to Him who sent Me.

 

• And Jesus certainly knew that the Father had handed all things over to Him.

 

John 3:35, The Father loves the Son and has entrusted all things to His hand.

 

• that the Father had given all things into His hands (cf. 3:35; 17:2; Matt. 11:27; 28:18), and that He had come forth from God

 

John 3:35, The Father loves the Son and has entrusted all things to His hand.

 

• Jesus had been given all things, all power, all authority.

 

Illus. Power.

 

• Here he is, at the last supper, in His final hours, knowing where He had come from and where He was going, God in human flesh with all power and authority…What did He do? He got up to serve.

 

Illus. What will you do?

 

• It is important to note that the Passover supper was recorded in all four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

 

• While they are recorded in all four gospel accounts, each gospel writer records different aspects. The only account with the foot washing is the Gospel of John, but, other writers record other aspects, or conversations that were a part of the scene.

 

• In the book of Luke chapter 22, we get a little context to a conversation amongst the disciples as the scene unfolds, it was a dispute as to which one of them was the greatest…

 

Luke 22:24-27, a dispute also developed among them as to which one of them was regarded as being the greatest. And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles domineer over them; and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’ But it is not this way for you; rather, the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant. For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves.

 

• Here Jesus was, the greatest of all time, (I would call him the Goat, but he was a lamb) and He tells His disciples that the greatest is the least, the leader is the servant.

 

John 13:4-5, [He] got up from supper and laid His outer garments aside; and He took a towel and tied it around Himself. Then He poured water into the basin, and began washing the disciples’ feet and wiping them with the towel which He had tied around Himself.

 

• In those days, people didn’t have close-toed shoes, they had sandals. Their feet and toes were exposed. So, walking on dirty and dusty roads, by the time you got to the place where you were going, you had dirty feet. Even if you washed your feet on the way to a dinner, or a Passover dinner, then walked on dusty roads, you would have dirty feed.

 

• This being the case, in every place where there was a meal, there was a pitcher of water and a towel.

 

• It was the job of the household servant to wash the feet of the those who had come for a meal and if there wasn’t a servant in that house, which seems to be the case here, a person could wash their own feet, but typically, they would wash one another’s feet.

 

• Now we know from verse two that the dinner had already started, so we know that none of the disciples volunteered to wash the feet of the others.

 

• Why? They were in the middle of a debate about which one of them was the greatest, that being the case, the last thing they wanted to do was the job of the lowest servants.

 

Illus. How greatness is determined.

 

• Jesus showed His greatness by being willing to serve in a way that was only seen amongst those with low status.

 

Illus. Below or above.

 

1. He Washed Feet Others Wouldn’t

 

• After nobody in the room volunteered to wash feet, Jesus did.

 

John 13:4-9, [He] got up from supper and laid His outer garments aside; and He took a towel and tied it around Himself. Then He poured water into the basin, and began washing the disciples’ feet and wiping them with the towel which He had tied around Himself.

 

Illus. Feet.

 

• As Jesus came around the room, we don’t know what each of them said. I imagine there would have been a silence in the room. It could have even been a bit convicting, or uncomfortable for them as Jesus does the job of a servant.

 

• While we don’t know what they all thought or said, we know that Peter had something to say when it was His turn.

 

John 13:6-8(a), He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, “Lord, You are washing my feet?” Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing, you do not realize right now, but you will understand later.” Peter said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!”

 

• Many commentators have thoughts about what Peter said and why. Some suggest perhaps he thought Jesus shouldn’t have been washing feet and wanted to protect what He say as Jesus’ dignity.

 

• Others suggest Peter is trying to be extra spiritual, or more humble than the rest of the disciples.

 

• We don’t know what Pete was thinking with absolute certainly, but what we do know is that Jesus wanted to wash His disciples’ feet, and Peter resists.

 

• Peter resisted, he wanted something different than what Jesus was planning, but Jesus was going to teach Him.

 

• Peter often gets it wrong and misunderstands what Jesus was doing, Peter does this many times in his life, and his responses are helpful to us in our lives.

 

Illus. Examples.

 

John 13:8(b)-9, Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no place with Me.” Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head!”

 

• After at first refusing, Jesus told Peter that if He does not wash him, then he has not place with Him…And Peter then said essentially, “Well, then wash my hands and my head, wash everything!”

 

John 13:10-11, Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet; otherwise he is completely clean. And you are clean—but not all of you.” For He knew the one who was betraying Him; it was for this reason that He said, “Not all of you are clean.”

 

• Peter wants to be washed totally, but Jesus tells Peter here, you have already been bathed, you are clean.

 

• There was something that bathed him, made him clean, and so he only needed a foot washing.

 

• Then he said “you are clean – but not all of you, in reference to Judas.

 

• Wait a minute, did Judas take baths? Did Judas have his feet washed by Jesus? Yes, but he was not clean. What does this mean?

 

• In those days, when a person went to dinner, particularly a Passover dinner,  they would bathe beforehand. It was a common custom in that day.

 

• So a person would bathe their entire body, then put on their sandals walk to dinner. By the time a person made it to the dinner location after walking on dusty roads, their feet would be dirty. 

 

• So there would be a foot washing.  They didn’t need to take another bath upon arrival, just get the dirt and dust off of their feet.   They only needed their feet washed, and that’s the picture being given.

 

• The word bathed in Greek is louō, it meant to wash or bathe completely.

 

• The other word is niptō which means to wash certain parts like hands or feet.

 

• Jesus said if you have been washed completely, you just need to keep your feet clean!

 

• So, what is that initial washing?

 

John 15:3, You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

 

• In John 5:24, Jesus said those who hear His word and believes Him who sent Him has everlasting life!

 

• Those who accept His word, believe in Him have be washed, forgiven, and cleansed by Him.

 

• But as we walk through this world, our feet get dirty. From day to day, we walk through this world, we are faced with sin, we at times step into sin, we are defiled by sin, it gets in the way of right relationship, keeps us from feeling fully clean.

 

1 John 1:9, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 

• We come to Jesus and He cleanses us from all unrighteousness.

 

• Jesus said to Peter, you have been bathed, you don’t need to be bathed again, just keep your feet clean!

 

• Jesus said, “you have no part if you do not let me wash your feet.” That word “part, is also referred to as “measure.” And we need a measure, the full measure of Christ daily as we walk through our days.

 

• As Jesus went one by one, disciple by disciple, He was washing each of their feet. One by one, their feet would have been cleaned, and also one by one, the towel and basin He was carrying around the room would have become increasingly dirty.

 

• This has great spiritual meaning as we consider what Jesus did on the cross, taking on our sin, making us clean.

 

• It also gives a picture of selfless service to us. When we serve others we are looking for what they need, even though that means I need to hold a towel that gets dirty after serving.

 

• While there is great spiritual meaning, there is also a physical reality…Nobody had gotten up to wash feet. It was not a job they wanted to do. Nobody would wash feet.

 

• They didn’t want to get involved in the messy things, but Jesus did, He washed feet.

 

Illus. No problem.

 

Illus. The scene.

 

Philippians 2:3-11

 

III.   He Gave Us an Example and Calls Us to Do as He Did

 

John 13:12-17,  Then, when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done for you? You call Me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’; and you are correct, for so I am. So if I, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example, so that you also would do just as I did for you. Truly, truly I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

 

• In verse 15 Jesus explains that He gave us an example; and in verse that we also should do as Jesus did.

 

• Notice that Jesus said, “as I did” not, “what I did.” In other words, He seems to be pointing to a posture we are to take as servants, not necessarily something that we need to plan into our gatherings or service.

 

Illus. Wash feet?

 

• Jesus said He gave an example to us and then turned the attention to serving. A servant is not greater than his master.

 

• If your master and teacher is a servant, you are not greater than Him; you should also be a servant.

 

• He then said that if you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. That word blessed means “happy.”

 

• Many think the way to happiness is to sit back and relax, Jesus says, it comes with service and calls us to do as He did.

 

Illus. You’re it.

 

John 13:1-17