The Servant at the Last Supper, John 13:1-17

Hit the brakes. Grab a pillow. Get comfortable. Hope you’re hungry, because we’ll be at the supper table for a while. It’s a big meal. Chapter 13 introduces the Upper Room Discourse; which extends through chapter 17. (Don’t worry, we’ll just cover the first 17 verses today).

Were it a movie, the camera would zoom in close and stay there. We ran with Jesus for over three years (chapters 1-12), but now, the pace slows; chapters 13-19 cover less than two days.

The synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) focus on the meal (communion) and then move to the Mount Olivet Discourse.

John stays in the upper room, focused on the Servant Savior.

Speaking of the Upper Room. This is a large furnished room that Jesus previously reserved for this very occasion. Mark 14:13-15. If you go to Jerusalem today to see the Upper Room, you’ll go to place called, The Cenacle; a room just outside the Old City walls, traditionally held to be the site of the Last Supper.

Okay, ready? got your pillow? Which is literally what they would have. A pillow. The scene opens with Jesus and the disciples around a triclinium. Picture three rectangle coffee tables placed in the shape of a U. Around the three sides of the outer perimeter are large pillow like furnishings for reclining or sitting at the table (forget about Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of the Last Supper).  

Now, as we enter the Upper Room imagine your closest friends gathered to celebrate the huge promotion you’re about to receive.

It looks great on the surface, but behind the scene they argue over who will be the greatest once you’re promoted. Furthermore, one of your so-called friends, has conspired with those who want you dead; and within 24 hours, they’ll succeed.

You know all of this.

What do you do?

This, is what Jesus did…

13 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.

This day commemorating the Last Supper, has come to be known as Maundy Thursday. It comes from the words “new commandment” in verse 34.

³⁴ A new commandment (Latin Vulgate: mandatum novum), I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you…

His hour had come. Jesus walked by a Divine Clock. Still does. And not in hiding. He lets us know. He leaves tracks for anyone watching to follow.  In verse nineteen He says it right out loud: “I tell you before it comes, so when it does come, you’ll believe.” John 13:19.

He loved them to the end, means He loves to the uttermost, to the fullest extent, without end.

² And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, ³ Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God,

“Supper being ended…” in the original text is: ginomai; in progress, underway. Thus, according to original text and the context of this passage; supper was already in progress.

And, Judas was already tempted. (he’ll be possessed when we reach verse 27).

The invisible war is escalating to a climax.

Two Men Yield.

One to the Father of Life; the other to the father of lies.

Before the sunsets tomorrow, both bodies will be dead.

One nailed to a tree; the other hanging from one.

One Man will give His own life.

The other will take his own life.

One will resurrect to Eternal Life.

The other will resurrect to eternally wish, he’d never been born.

VICTORY IS NOT DETERMINED

BY THE WEAPONS YOU WIELD BUT

TO WHOM YOU YIELD

Romans 6:16; To whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants you are.

James 1:13-15 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

 ⁴ rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. ⁵ After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.

 

Jesus rose from His throne in heaven

Laid aside His garments of glory, to put on the skin of a servant

He poured His blood for cleansing our soul

He loves to the end to the uttermost, wiping away every trace of sin and sorrow

Philippians 2:5-11

⁵ Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, ⁷ but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. ⁹ Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

⁶ Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?”

Dearest Peter, humility works both ways. How you serve, AND how you allow others to serve you.

⁷ Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.”

⁸ Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!”

Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”

⁹ Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!”

 ¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” ¹¹ For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, “You are not all clean.”

 

Peter swung from one extreme to another.

No! You’ll never wash my feet.

Oh. Okay then, give me a bath.

Godly humility knows how to serve and be served, with grace.

¹² So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? ¹³ You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. ¹⁴ If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. ¹⁶ Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. ¹⁷ If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

Jesus asked if they understood.

Do we?

Context is king, in many ways when interpreting Scripture. The best commentary on the Bible is the Bible. Scripture interprets Scripture.

So, let’s look at this situation from another angle for a clearer picture of what’s going on.

Luke 22:24-27 tells us:

²⁴ Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest. ²⁵ And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ ²⁶ But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. ²⁷ For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves.

Okay, so let’s look at this in context.

For starters: We may view foot washing as some super spiritual event. However, back then it was common practice. A matter of practicality. It was dry and dusty and they wore sandals.  

Remember, Jesus reserved this furnished room. They were reclining, sitting, eating, from pillows that flanked the table filled with food. Common sense and common courtesy dictate they not put dirty, dusty, feet all over those pillows.

Wouldn’t you remove your muddy boots before propping your feet on someone’s couch?

Common sense, right?

Well, with the disciples it might’ve been like Will Roger’s said, “Commonsense ain’t common.”

To top it off, the disciples were arguing (Luke 22:24) about which one of them would be the greatest when Jesus entered His Kingdom. (They were still thinking it was time to overthrow the gov and MIGA; make Israel great again). They were like little kids around the table with chocolate on their face and mud on their feet, arguing about who should get the biggest piece of cake. No wonder Jesus calls them “little children” in verse thirty-three. John 13:33.

So, Jesus, the Lord and Teacher, and Master of object lesson, rose from the table and humbly, quietly showed them how to be great.

The Good news is, it’s something we all can do; and something we want to do, because Jesus wraps it up with a promise saying, “blessed are you if you do…”

 

Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, thank You for humbling Yourself to the Father’s plan.

Please help us, to do the same.

We love You, forever.

Amen.

 

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