It is common to be more eager to know about secret things, which belong to God only, than about things revealed, which belong to us and our children; to be more desirous to have our curiosity gratified, than our consciences directed; to know what is done in heaven, than what we may do to get thither. He foretold that it would be as it came to pass. Jesus sets the disciple right, and that by proceeding to speak of the washing in question according to the spiritual sense of which it is to be taken as the symbol, in order thereby to lead the disciple, who had misunderstood Him, to the true comprehension of the matter. But every word of this question is emphatic. Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. We are not to confine our attention to Judas. John 13:17. Accordingly, though there can be no doubt that already Peter's heart rebelled against it as a thing not to be tolerated, Jesus ministers no rebuke as yet, but only bids him wait a little, and he should understand it all. The "latter half" [7] or "closing part" [8] of John’s Gospel" commences with this chapter. The apostles Peter (in verse 37), Thomas and Philip (in the next chapter) raise questions about where Jesus is going. The Jerusalem Bible has "the mind of Judas".[17]. Peter wanted to know them; Jesus would have us do them. Grammatically, the meaning can be read as either "the heart of the devil" or "the heart of Judas", but the received reading (i.e. And the same love which led Christ to ransom and reconcile his disciples when enemies, still influences him. "The eating bread derives a fearful meaning from the participation in the sacramental supper, a meaning which must be applied for ever to all unworthy communicants, as well as to all betrayers of Christ who eat the bread of His Church" (STIER, with whom, and others, we agree in thinking that Judas partook of the Lord's Supper). This cleansing is effected once for all, and is never repeated. They abhorred the thought, but, instead of putting it on others, each was only anxious to purge himself and know if he could be the wretch. Those who truly desire to be sanctified, desire to be sanctified throughout, to have the whole man, with all its parts and powers, made pure. John 13:1. if ye have love one to another--for My sake, and as one in Me; for to such love men outside the circle of believers know right well they are entire strangers. I tell you before . What way of access the devil has to men's hearts we cannot tell. the devil having now--or, "already." Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he. (3) "They began to say unto Him one by one, Is it I, and another, Is it I?" Indeed, the whole of John's Gospel is written so that [his readers] "may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing [they] may have life in his name" (John 20:30 NIV). This term of endearment, nowhere else used in the Gospels, and once only employed by Paul ( Galatians 4:19 ), is appropriated by the beloved disciple himself, who no fewer than seven times employs it in his first Epistle. It is not, however, something transcending the great moral law, which is "the old commandment" ( 1 John 2:7 , it is said to be both new and old ( 1 John 2:7 1 John 2:8 ). (Compare Exodus 30:18 Exodus 30:19 ). . What does it mean to serve? God bless to us this brief reading of his own Word! And ye are clean, but not all; which shows, that justifying and regenerating grace are common to all the true disciples of Christ; they are equally born again, alike justified, and are as clean one as an other in the sight of God; not only Peter, but all the apostles, were clean, excepting one; there was one of them, Judas, who was not clean; and therefore he says, but not all: whence it may be observed, that among the purest societies, there are some unclean persons; there was a Judas, an unclean person among the pure disciples of Christ; there are chaff and tares among his wheat, goats among his sheep, and foolish virgins along with the wise ones. . obliterates the distinction between λούω, to bathe, to apply water to the whole body, and νίπτω, to wash a part of the body. I hope that the devil will not put any such purpose into your hearts or into mine while we are in this house of prayer, but no place is sacred from his intrusion, he will come in anywhere. (Comp. John 13:1-20.AT THE LAST SUPPER JESUS WASHES THE DISCIPLES' FEET--THE DISCOURSE ARISING THEREUPON. [16] After his departure, Jesus provides no further explanation to address the Disciples' question. John 13:31-38 . [24], The evangelist reports Jesus saying in John 13:19, "I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am". the Son of Man is glorified in the Father. If John had not told us who it was that said this, we should have known that it was Peter.